TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor (MOL) has approved a proposal to raise the number of migrant agricultural workers to 6,000.

As Taiwan’s agricultural industry has struggled with labor shortages, the MOL has agreed to introduce more migrant workers into the country. Paul Su (蘇裕國), head of the Workforce Development Agency's Cross-Border Workforce Management Division under the MOL, said that the decision to raise the number to 6,000 was made during a recent meeting, CNA reported.

The number of agricultural migrant workers allowed started at 800 in 2020 and was increased to 2,400 earlier this year. The sectors open to migrant workers remain unchanged and include orchids, edible mushrooms, vegetables, animal husbandry except dairy farming, fish farming, and outreaching agricultural jobs.

However, Su added that the decision was made with one caveat: the Council of Agriculture should keep tabs on how agricultural employers are managing their migrant workers, who have a higher percentage of becoming unaccounted for.