TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Labor on Friday (Nov. 8) revealed details on the first wave of workers to be brought in from India.
It said that Taiwan and India held their first labor cooperation meeting on Nov. 5 to discuss a preliminary plan for introducing Indian workers. The two countries reached a consensus on the number of workers, target industry, and recruitment methods for the initial phase.
Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said the two nations would promote an Indian labor introduction initiative. The plan is to initially bring in 1,000 Indian workers for the traditional manufacturing sector, with a target of 5% hired through direct recruitment.
The plan's effectiveness will be periodically reviewed, with adjustments made to expand the range of industries and increase worker numbers as appropriate. The ultimate goal is to open the same range of industries to Indian workers as those available to workers from other partner countries.
Tsai explained that India has not previously used direct hiring for migrant workers in other countries. Both countries have agreed to designate dedicated units for direct hiring, including Taiwan's Direct Hiring Service Center under the Workforce Development Agency and India's Overseas Employment Division.
Tsai said the work-level meetings would be co-chaired by agency directors from both countries and would primarily be held online. Taiwan agreed to India’s suggestion to hold these meetings every two months, with interim meetings as necessary.
As for when the first group of Indian workers will arrive in Taiwan, Tsai said the labor ministry hopes it will be as soon as possible. However, further discussions with India are needed regarding regulations, system verification, and other details.
He added that based on Japan's experience of introducing Indian migrant workers, the process took about a year.
