TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan proposed stricter Mandarin requirements for foreign students seeking transportation jobs Wednesday (Jan. 7), as the sector faces over 2,000 driver vacancies. The Ministry of Transportation and Communication's Highway Bureau (交通部公路局) submitted the revisions to the Ministry of Labor (勞動部) in mid-November, raising the Mandarin test standard from basic to advanced levels, along with necessary certifications or training requirements. The proposal targets overseas Chinese and foreign students seeking employment in Taiwan's transportation sector.
The Ministry of Labor announced regulatory changes in late March, allowing graduates to take mid-level technical roles including truck drivers and urban passenger transport drivers. Due to public feedback, the ministry requested the Highway Bureau to reevaluate support measures. Under the new regulations, employers must ensure candidates meet language and driving qualifications, with monthly salaries set at minimum NT$50,000 (around US$1,587) for passenger transport and NT$43,000 (around US$1,365) for freight transport.
Highway Bureau statistics reveal a significant driver shortage, with 1,367 vacancies in urban passenger transport and 661 in highway transport, totaling 2,028 unfilled positions. The shortage impacted Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport (國光客運), which halted 14 routes in southern Taiwan in August and September due to financial constraints. The Highway Bureau fined the company NT$90,000 (around US$2,857) for salary delays, with recent reports indicating ongoing payment issues.
The Taipei City Labor Bureau (台北市勞動局) confirmed Kuo-Kuang violated labor laws by failing to fully pay wages during a December inspection. Despite these challenges, Kuo-Kuang announced it disbursed driver salaries Monday night and other employee wages Tuesday afternoon, aiming to stabilize operations before the Lunar New Year. ◼