The labor ministry is set to promote new legislation that will introduce a 40-hour workweek next year. Right now Taiwan’s legal working hours are 84 hours every two weeks, which is higher than the 40-hour workweek in Japan, Korea and the United States.
Labor Minister Pan Shih-wei told lawmakers on Monday that adjusting working hours is a complicated issue since Taiwan’s economy relies heavily on manufacturing. He said the government has mapped out a plan to shorten working hours, but additional measures are needed to make it work.
A report by the government statistics office says that Taiwan’s service industry has longer-than-normal working hours and that the manufacturing industry often requires employees to work overtime.
Labor rights activists are gearing up to hold a rally on May 1st, which is International Workers’ Day. Decreasing work hours is expected to be a major demand.