Taiwan's Ministry of Labor Establishes Recruitment Center in Philippines, Lawmakers Question Its Role
Taiwan's Ministry of Labor has set up its first cross-border labor recruitment center in the Philippines. Several lawmakers questioned the center's unclear role and overlapping responsibilities with existing units. Minister of Labor Hung Shen-yen responded that the center needs to operate overseas to understand local labor conditions and actively recruit talent.
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- 📰 Published: June 4, 2026 at 13:25
- 🔍 Collected: June 4, 2026 at 13:43 (18 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 6, 2026 at 16:03 (50h 20m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, Taipei, June 4) The Ministry of Labor has established its first cross-border labor recruitment center in the Philippines. Several lawmakers questioned the center's unclear positioning during a legislative session on Tuesday.
The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the Legislative Yuan reviewed the central government's budget proposal for the Ministry of Labor, with multiple lawmakers focusing on the ministry's new cross-border labor recruitment center.
The Ministry of Labor set up its first official cross-border labor recruitment center in the Philippines this year to expand project-based worker selection. Businesses in the labor-short hospitality and commercial port industries will be able to hire foreign technical workers through the center, provided they first raise wages for local workers by NT$2,000.
Kuomintang lawmaker Chen Ching-hui stated that the ministry's direct-hire services have been ineffective. She noted that while a new "Cross-Border Labor Recruitment Center" has been established, the budget proposal fails to clearly delineate its responsibilities from the existing Cross-Border Labor Management Division and the Cross-Border Labor Affairs Center.
Chen added that the center plans to hire 14 full-time staff and 16 contract workers, but the duties and hiring process for the 16 contract workers have not been explained. She argued that government organizations should be streamlined and that the ministry should clearly state the new unit's purpose, functions, and division of labor to avoid overlapping structures and redundant budgets.
Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Liu Chien-kuo also submitted a proposal stating that the positioning of the recruitment center, the Cross-Border Labor Management Division, and the Cross-Border Labor Affairs Center is unclear, and that budget efficiency and resource allocation should be improved.
In response, Minister Hung Shen-yen said that Japan and South Korea have established overseas offices and cooperated with the private sector to promote government-to-government direct hiring. He explained that the Cross-Border Labor Management Division handles domestic policy planning, the Affairs Center manages employment review, and the Recruitment Center, located in the source country, is responsible for understanding local labor conditions and specific skill sets.
Hung emphasized that the center must operate overseas. If it only operates domestically, it will not have a clear understanding of overseas conditions. Therefore, personnel will be gradually dispatched abroad to actively recruit targets. The center's director will be a civil servant, and local collaborators familiar with the situation will also be needed, which explains the staffing structure.
Huang Ling-yu, Director-General of the Workforce Development Agency, stated that the Cross-Border Labor Affairs Center is responsible for reviewing the employment of all foreign nationals, the Recruitment Center is responsible for foreign technical manpower, and the Cross-Border Labor Management Division oversees foreign worker policy. She asserted that the roles of the three units are distinct.
The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the Legislative Yuan reviewed the central government's budget proposal for the Ministry of Labor, with multiple lawmakers focusing on the ministry's new cross-border labor recruitment center.
The Ministry of Labor set up its first official cross-border labor recruitment center in the Philippines this year to expand project-based worker selection. Businesses in the labor-short hospitality and commercial port industries will be able to hire foreign technical workers through the center, provided they first raise wages for local workers by NT$2,000.
Kuomintang lawmaker Chen Ching-hui stated that the ministry's direct-hire services have been ineffective. She noted that while a new "Cross-Border Labor Recruitment Center" has been established, the budget proposal fails to clearly delineate its responsibilities from the existing Cross-Border Labor Management Division and the Cross-Border Labor Affairs Center.
Chen added that the center plans to hire 14 full-time staff and 16 contract workers, but the duties and hiring process for the 16 contract workers have not been explained. She argued that government organizations should be streamlined and that the ministry should clearly state the new unit's purpose, functions, and division of labor to avoid overlapping structures and redundant budgets.
Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Liu Chien-kuo also submitted a proposal stating that the positioning of the recruitment center, the Cross-Border Labor Management Division, and the Cross-Border Labor Affairs Center is unclear, and that budget efficiency and resource allocation should be improved.
In response, Minister Hung Shen-yen said that Japan and South Korea have established overseas offices and cooperated with the private sector to promote government-to-government direct hiring. He explained that the Cross-Border Labor Management Division handles domestic policy planning, the Affairs Center manages employment review, and the Recruitment Center, located in the source country, is responsible for understanding local labor conditions and specific skill sets.
Hung emphasized that the center must operate overseas. If it only operates domestically, it will not have a clear understanding of overseas conditions. Therefore, personnel will be gradually dispatched abroad to actively recruit targets. The center's director will be a civil servant, and local collaborators familiar with the situation will also be needed, which explains the staffing structure.
Huang Ling-yu, Director-General of the Workforce Development Agency, stated that the Cross-Border Labor Affairs Center is responsible for reviewing the employment of all foreign nationals, the Recruitment Center is responsible for foreign technical manpower, and the Cross-Border Labor Management Division oversees foreign worker policy. She asserted that the roles of the three units are distinct.