TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Beginning Sunday (Oct. 15), the Ministry of Labor (MOL) will make it easier for families with a member suffering from mild dementia to employ migrant caregivers, while also relaxing rules for skilled workers.

The reforms focused on removing the use of the Barthel Index, a method to gauge the ability of a patient to complete activities common in daily life. Family members who have been diagnosed with mild dementia by a doctor and individuals who have received long-term care for at least six months would no longer need to be assessed with the Barthel Index, the MOL said Friday (Oct. 13).

In addition to reforming restrictions on the use of caregivers, the MOL will also ease restrictions for migrant workers who have worked a total of six years with the same employer, even if those six years were not consecutive, CNA reported. Those workers will receive the status of “intermediate skilled workers,” allowing them to apply for permanent residence.

Business organizations have called on the government to allow more migrant workers to enter Taiwan amid staff shortages in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government was also discussing plans for the hospitality and tourism sector to employ staff from overseas.