The Labor Ministry’s Workforce Development Agency says it will negotiate with the governments of Indonesia and the Philippines on raising the salaries of domestic helpers working in Taiwan.
Indonesia and the Philippines provide Taiwan with many of its domestic helpers, with large numbers of Indonesian and Philippine nationals working as caregivers for the elderly. More than 200,000 Taiwanese employers have hired workers from the two countries. These include many private households.
The Indonesian and Philippine governments require Taiwanese employers to submit applications to hire their nationals.
Indonesia’s government recently announced that as of July 1, it will require employers to guarantee Indonesian caregivers a minimum monthly salary of NT$17,500 (US$570). The Philippines has also begun pushing Taiwanese employers to raise salaries for Filipino caregivers as well.
Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen said Monday that requests to raise caretakers’ salaries are reasonable given that their wages have not been adjusted for more than ten years. However, Chen said that the labor ministry must consider the rights of Taiwanese employers.
The labor ministry says it hopes to reach a consensus with Indonesian and Philippine authorities through talks. The ministry has asked both countries to temporarily suspend moves to raise the wages of foreign caregivers.