TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is reportedly considering opening up new sectors to migrant workers, and Filipinos are among the favored groups for certain sectors, according to Taiwan’s Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO).

In an interview on the GMA News program "24 Oras," MECO Labor Center Director Cesar Chavez Jr. said that Taiwan is looking to hire Filipinos for the service and hospitality sectors. Regarding the potential plans to open more sectors to migrant workers, "The target is to be announced around December," he was quoted by the news agency as saying.

The news agency cited MECO as stating that the demand for Filipinos in the English teaching industry is also high. Given that Taiwan has launched its ambitious Bilingual 2030 policy, the country is looking to boost its number of English instructors, it said.

According to Chavez, English teachers who pass the Langara English Test (LET) can receive an average salary of NT$72,000 (US$2,250) per month, equivalent to about 130,000 Philippine pesos, while those who do not pass will earn about NT$40,000 per month.

In a phone interview with Taiwan News, Chavez said he was misquoted by GMA when it stated "At least 800,000 employment opportunities for foreign workers will be opening up in Taiwan." Chavez said his meaning was that if new sectors are open to foreign workers, it could impact the nearly 800,000 migrant workers currently living in Taiwan.

Chavez said his information sources are new employers who are putting up hotels and restaurants in Taiwan. He cited these sources as saying that the government is considering opening up the hospitality and service industries to migrant workers to make up for the labor shortfall.

Examples of jobs that could open in these sectors are cleaners and hotel workers, Chavez said. According to the sources, the government announcement on the expansion of new sectors could be made as soon as December or early next year.

Chavez acknowledged there is a lot of chatter in the business community about the potential opening of new sectors to migrant workers, but there has been no confirmation by the government yet. "We are hoping that it will come true," said Chavez.

When asked to confirm the GMA report, a Ministry of Labor representative told Taiwan News that the ministry is aware of the news, but could not confirm the December date or a change in policy at this time. The representative said any official announcement by the Taiwan government on the subject would be posted on the Workforce Development Agency website.