TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is experiencing a brain drain and population loss, such that talent is leaving its shores but not being replaced because the fertility rate is at an almost world-beating low — meaning not enough workers to keep the economy chugging along.
Hence, a welcome mat is being rolled out to foreigners, be they migrant laborers, maids, expats, teachers, nurses, doctors, wives and husbands, business people, investors, high-skilled workers, or Gold Card owners.
This week, another round of legal changes saw the government encourage white-collar workers to set up shop in Taiwan. A proposed package of 52 amendments gives “high-level professionals” more time to apply for an Alien Resident Certificate (ARC), makes it easier to apply for an Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC), as well as giving migrant parents more rights.
At the same time, the barriers for entry to live here for overseas Taiwanese have been lowered, so household registration is not necessary for an entry permit. And it is now a five-year rather than seven-year wait to apply for an APRC.
All good, you might think. Mission accomplished for the stated policy of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2020 that Taiwan should commit to economic globalization through increased immigration.
However, recent criticisms of the Gold Card scheme would appear to suggest that Taiwan is, in fact, failing in its goal of becoming a bilingual, more multicultural and international society.
Semi-viral
An opinion piece by the “serial entrepreneur and Taiwan Employment Gold Card holder” Jon Gropper, in a recent CommonWealth Magazine article, has gone semi-viral and bangs some nails into the coffin of this idea.
Adopting the extended metaphor that he’s wedded to his Gold Card, Gropper suggests that it is, in fact, a failing marriage. He admits to being “smitten” at first and keen to settle on this jade-colored isle, but quickly realizes “you did not offer us the same terms of doing so as locals.”
Gropper bemoans the fact that “fancy degrees” and the “best international minds” from North America and Europe are no longer being courted as strongly. Instead, he suggests, “mid-level workers” from Southeast Asia are in greater demand.
The author puts himself in the shoes of a “high-value mind” who arrives in Taiwan, falls in love, marries, settles down, but over time becomes less enamored with his situation. Then, he experiences a messy divorce and eventually leaves with the feeling that his wife has failed him. Basically, the old expat story ...
Criticisms of his wife/Taiwan/Gold Card are along the lines that he cannot afford to buy a house, has to pay a premium to rent, is not paid enough, and was not treated like the special person he is. It ends on a note of resignation. “Those who left say you are a pretty ex but a cold one that is best left in the past."
What Gropper does not seem to consider is that it takes two people to get hitched, or divorced, and there is therefore an equal responsibility for making it work. Just like a divorcee, he comes off confused and bitter, believing the breakdown is not his responsibility.
Pandemic bolthole
The government, on the other hand, has generally been pleased with its Gold Card offering and happy to point out how record numbers of cards have been given out in recent years. It tends to omit the fact that many of these Gold Card members used the island nation as a convenient pandemic bolthole, or have moved on to what they think are greener pastures.
Both sides have their own opinions, and hold their truths dear. But the figures tell the story.
The number of foreign residents stood at 752,900 in April 2022, according to the online market data company Statista. This represents 3.2% of the country’s population of 23.57 million.
Graph shows an increase in the number of foreigners in Taiwan. (Statista screenshot)
As you can see from the chart, this is a huge increase compared with 30 or even 10 years ago, when the foreign population stood at 44,441 and 483,921, respectively. We have seen an almost doubling of the foreigner population in Taiwan over the past 10 years.
However, since the Gold Card was launched in 2018, the number of foreigners has actually decreased by 5,683, most likely because of the pandemic. In 2021, the number of foreign residents declined for the first time since 2009.
New Southbound Policy
For a nation built largely on Chinese immigration, the early part of the 21st century is going to be remembered as a time when the net was stretched wider and migrants from countries elsewhere started to make an impact numerically, socially, and businesswise.
While a Gold Card might not be the perfect answer to more migrants and transforming a society, it does seem to be working, albeit slowly. Perhaps it’s best to go slow, rather than rush into marriage?
Taiwan is irrefutably opening up its doors to foreign workers. It appears to sense that fresh blood and ideas are required. After all, it is in the country’s interest, since if Taiwan is to become a super-aged society that is unable to keep up economically, there will be wholesale problems.
To progress, both Taiwan and its foreign workers need to respect each other's viewpoints, not just their own. To be fair, Gropper does make this case at the end of his article when he says he is still here and proposes a conversation about how we can “grow and sustain each other.”
Certainly, a marriage of convenience that sees one partner threaten to run when the going gets tough is not going to be a happy outcome. To succeed, there needs to be compromises on both sides and a commitment to make it work.
