Ministry of Labor: No Legal Basis to Announce Fines for Companies Failing to Meet Disability Employment Quotas

(Central News Agency, Reporter Wu Hsin-yun, Taipei, July 3) The Ministry of Labor regularly announces lists of companies that fail to meet the employment quota for persons with disabilities, but does not disclose the names of companies fined or the amounts of the fines. The Ministry of Labor stated today that there is currently no legal basis for announcing such fines. If the Rights and Interests of Persons with Disabilities Act is amended in the future, the ministry will evaluate whether to propose legislative amendments.

To protect the employment opportunities of persons with disabilities, Article 38, Paragraph 2 of the Rights and Interests of Persons with Disabilities Act stipulates that private schools, organizations, and private enterprises with a total number of employees of 67 or more must employ persons with disabilities who have the ability to work at a rate of no less than 1% of the total number of employees, and no less than one person.

If companies fail to meet the employment quota, the Ministry of Labor will regularly announce the list. Furthermore, if the obligated entity violates the regulation "without justifiable reason," local governments can impose fines. During the second meeting of the "Promotion Group for Training and Employment of Persons with Disabilities" held yesterday, some committee members suggested that the list of companies fined for failing to meet the employment quota and the amounts of the fines should be disclosed.

Liu Yu-yi, a section chief at the Workforce Development Agency of the Ministry of Labor, stated today that requiring companies to meet the quota for employing persons with disabilities is handled in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Rights and Interests of Persons with Disabilities Act, and the information must be regularly disclosed on the open information website.

However, Liu Yu-yi said that regarding fines, there is currently no legal basis for announcement, and it also involves personal data, which must be handled with caution. In the future, if the Rights and Interests of Persons with Disabilities Act is amended, opinions from all sectors will be collected, and discussions will be held on whether to propose legislative amendments.

In addition to suggesting the disclosure of fine information for companies failing to meet the employment quota, some committee members also suggested reviewing the job redesign subsidy system. Considering inflation and the increasing number of technological assistive devices, the current personal assistive device subsidy limit of NT$100,000 should be considered for an increase.

Liu Yu-yi responded that according to statistics, in the past three years, there have been 62 applications for personal assistive devices exceeding NT$100,000. Subsequently, relevant data will be collected, and discussions will be held with local governments on whether to adjust the subsidy amount limit in a timely manner. (Editor: Huang Ming-hsi) 1150703

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