The Taiwan Railway Labor Union says its members won't be pushing for strike action on public holidays later this year due to progress in negotiations with the Taiwan Railways Administration on pay issues

The Ministry of Labor (MOL) says it plans to loosen the criteria for the employment of migrant workers.

Taiwan's official unemployment rate reached 4% in July, according to the monthly Manpower Survey Results report by the Directorate General of Budget Accounting & Statistics (DGBAS).

Average year-end bonuses are expected to fall to their lowest level in 11 years - that, according to a survey by the 111 online job bank

Labour groups are urging the government to resist "underwriting existing human rights violations" and instead integrate live-in migrant caregivers into a better-regulated long-term care system.

Deputy Labor Minister Lee Chun-yi is warning that continued government subsidies are currently the "only way" to stabilize the Labor Insurance Fund.

Lawmakers have passed an amendment to the Labor Union Act that imposes harsher penalties on employers who refuse to allow workers to join a union or participate in union related activities.

The Ministry of Labour says women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are still banned from working shifts late at night or in the early morning hours, even though women who don't fall into these categories are now allowed to do so without restrictions.

Taiwan is facing a shortage of migrant workers and the government is belatedly taking action to improve their rights and future prospects. However, it remains questionable if changes will go far enough to recognise and value the vital role they play in Taiwan's economic and social development.

​​​​​​​By Paul Shelton

The Ministry of Labour (MOL) says it's extending a subsidy programme that offers a one-time payment of NT$10,000 to designated workers who have lost at least 20% of their income due to the recent domestic coronavirus outbreak.

Taiwan's labour funds had made good gains totalling NT$322 billion as of the end of July this year, putting the overall rate of return at 7%