India-Taiwan Bridging The Labour Gap

There’s a lot more going on in Taiwan than the media’s obsessive focus on its tensions with China, with more than seven lakh foreign workers Taiwan is now preparing to welcome skilled Indian workers for its semiconductor and medical sectors initially and perhaps more going forward.

Taiwan is experiencing critical gaps in its workforce since the birth rate has been dropping steadily, currently, it is 8.3 births per 1000 people and the island is expected to become a ‘super-aged society’ by 2025 with over a fifth of the population in the elderly category.

The two governments are finalizing negotiations on a Mobility and Migration Agreement that lays the policy framework for recruiting skilled Indian workers. Recruitment could be done by joint service centers manned perhaps by Taiwanese and Indians. The workers will be briefed on Taiwan’s working conditions, laws and regulations, and compensation for wrongful termination of service.

In fact, pro-China media reports have warned that Indian workers could pose law and order issues. The reports have also highlighted attacks on women in India to reinforce the view that Indian workers cannot be trusted.

But as Taiwanese officials acknowledge, India has signed migration and mobility agreements with a number of countries including France, Italy, and Germany, and skilled Indian workers are much sought after all over the world.