Social Workers Appeal for Reform on Labor Day, MOHW: Willing to Listen to Frontline Needs
On Labor Day, social worker groups appealed for comprehensive social safety net reforms and emphasized the importance of listening to frontline personnel due to severe overwork. The Ministry of Health and Welfare expressed willingness to listen to feedback and plans to utilize AI to reduce administrative burdens, with regional forums also scheduled.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 17:13
- 🔍 Collected: May 1, 2026 at 17:32 (18 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 1, 2026 at 17:47 (15 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yi-ning, Taipei, 1st) Social worker groups on Labor Day called for a comprehensive reform of the social safety net to prevent it from becoming a "social worker net," and hoped that the voices of frontline personnel would be taken seriously. Lu Jian-de, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated that he is willing to listen to areas that need improvement, while emphasizing that the social safety net has always been community- and family-centered.
Today is Labor Day, and social worker groups shouted demands such as "social workers are not scapegoats" during the Labor Day parade. They believe that the labor conditions of social workers have not improved in 20 years, yet they are expected to prop up the entire social safety net. They advocated that the government should comprehensively reform the social safety net to allow community participation, avoiding it from becoming merely a "social worker net." They also hoped that the problem of social workers' labor conditions not improving for 20 years would be addressed and called for the inclusion of frontline social workers' voices in professional review mechanisms.
Lu Jian-de responded to a media phone interview today, pointing out that the social safety net, from 1.0 to the current 2.0, has always focused on the community as its main axis and the family as its center. Although social work includes both individual case work and community work, the core emphasis of the social safety net has always been "family-centered and community-based," and this focus will continue to be promoted in the future. However, if there are areas that can be improved, he is willing to listen to everyone's opinions during future forums.
A survey recently released by the Taipei Social Workers' Union indicated that 78.18% of social workers suffer from moderate to severe overwork, with 47.24% experiencing severe overwork. In response, Lu Jian-de stated that he would further understand the survey methodology and, in future business promotions, would be willing to listen to the voices of frontline social workers to see if there are areas needing improvement. He also mentioned that the Ministry would continue to utilize technologies such as AI to reduce social workers' administrative burdens, such as paperwork.
The "Kaikai case" ignited discussions about the plight and accountability of social workers, leading to calls within the social work community to temporarily suspend performance evaluations and assessments to reduce pressure. Lu Jian-de pointed out that according to the regulations of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, any government project requires evaluation, making a complete halt difficult. However, he stated that whether evaluations can be made more flexible and how assessments can be made more efficient are areas that can be reviewed.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare had previously promised to hold four regional forums (North, Central, South, East) for communication with frontline staff. Lu Jian-de said he would personally communicate with everyone, with arrangements generally prioritizing weekends to avoid affecting work hours. He also noted that efforts would be made to provide notifications as early as possible. (Editor: Lee Shu-hua) 2024.05.01
Choose to stand with facts; every donation you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news in real-time.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.
(Central News Agency reporter Tseng Yi-ning, Taipei, 1st) Social worker groups on Labor Day called for a comprehensive reform of the social safety net to prevent it from becoming a "social worker net," and hoped that the voices of frontline personnel would be taken seriously. Lu Jian-de, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated that he is willing to listen to areas that need improvement, while emphasizing that the social safety net has always been community- and family-centered.
Today is Labor Day, and social worker groups shouted demands such as "social workers are not scapegoats" during the Labor Day parade. They believe that the labor conditions of social workers have not improved in 20 years, yet they are expected to prop up the entire social safety net. They advocated that the government should comprehensively reform the social safety net to allow community participation, avoiding it from becoming merely a "social worker net." They also hoped that the problem of social workers' labor conditions not improving for 20 years would be addressed and called for the inclusion of frontline social workers' voices in professional review mechanisms.
Lu Jian-de responded to a media phone interview today, pointing out that the social safety net, from 1.0 to the current 2.0, has always focused on the community as its main axis and the family as its center. Although social work includes both individual case work and community work, the core emphasis of the social safety net has always been "family-centered and community-based," and this focus will continue to be promoted in the future. However, if there are areas that can be improved, he is willing to listen to everyone's opinions during future forums.
A survey recently released by the Taipei Social Workers' Union indicated that 78.18% of social workers suffer from moderate to severe overwork, with 47.24% experiencing severe overwork. In response, Lu Jian-de stated that he would further understand the survey methodology and, in future business promotions, would be willing to listen to the voices of frontline social workers to see if there are areas needing improvement. He also mentioned that the Ministry would continue to utilize technologies such as AI to reduce social workers' administrative burdens, such as paperwork.
The "Kaikai case" ignited discussions about the plight and accountability of social workers, leading to calls within the social work community to temporarily suspend performance evaluations and assessments to reduce pressure. Lu Jian-de pointed out that according to the regulations of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, any government project requires evaluation, making a complete halt difficult. However, he stated that whether evaluations can be made more flexible and how assessments can be made more efficient are areas that can be reviewed.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare had previously promised to hold four regional forums (North, Central, South, East) for communication with frontline staff. Lu Jian-de said he would personally communicate with everyone, with arrangements generally prioritizing weekends to avoid affecting work hours. He also noted that efforts would be made to provide notifications as early as possible. (Editor: Lee Shu-hua) 2024.05.01
Choose to stand with facts; every donation you make is a force for protecting press freedom.
Download the CNA "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news in real-time.
The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.