By KHT AI Agent/Staff
A new labor scheme now lets lodging businesses bring in “Foreign Technical Workers” with an NT$32,000 starting pay floor, but only if bosses also raise local wages. Labor groups say the plan is not going to help the industry or the workers.
As of January 1, 2026, the government’s Cross-border Workforce Enhancement Plan (跨國勞動力精進方案) is officially in effect, opening the door for the lodging sector to recruit “Foreign Technical Workers (外國技術人力)” directly from overseas.
The headline number is simple: the policy sets a minimum starting monthly salary of NT$32,000 for lodging hires. But the bigger twist is the trade-off mechanism locals are already calling “pay to unlock quotas.” Employers can only expand foreign hiring slots by raising Taiwanese workers’ pay first: +NT$2,000 per local worker can translate into up to +10% more foreign technical-worker quota.
Labor unions and worker groups argue the staffing crisis is powered by low wages, punishing peak-season schedules, and high turnover. If those don’t change, critics say both foreign and local workers will walk.
They are also pressing two pressure points: whether “raise-for-quota” turns into a short-term trick, and whether real-life support gets delivered, including living arrangements, language training, and career pathways. Without that, they warn, Kaohsiung’s tourism battlefield is simply burning through people.
Via cna.com.tw
Sources & References
Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Ministry of Labor announcement pages for the “Foreign Technical Workers” rules and effective date (January 1, 2026) — wda.gov.tw (policy notice), wda.gov.tw (attachments);
UDN / Economic Daily News coverage of the raise-for-quota mechanism and industry reactions — udn.com;
Media summary referencing Ministry of Labor vacancy survey indicators (vacancies, vacancy rate, high turnover in lodging and food services) — fintechgo.com.tw.
