DGPA: Male Civil Servants Taking Parental Leave Up 55.79%

Central News Agency (Reporter Kao Hua-chien, Taipei, May 6) - The Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DGPA) said today that since the implementation of enhanced parental leave subsidies in July 2021, the number of male recipients increased from 2,332 to 3,633, a growth of 55.79%. This shows that the policy helps increase civil servants' willingness to apply for parental leave. The Legislative Yuan's Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee reviewed the DGPA's budget proposal for the 2026 central government general budget this morning. The DGPA stated in a written report that in line with the Executive Yuan's policy, it has promoted enhanced parental leave subsidies since July 1, 2021. Comparing data from four years after the implementation of enhanced subsidies, the ratio of parental leave recipients to maternity benefit recipients increased from 51.96% to 61.65%. The DGPA noted that the growth rate for males was higher than for females, with the number of male recipients increasing from 2,332 to 3,633, a growth of 55.79%. This indicates that the policy helps increase civil servants' willingness to apply for parental leave and creates a family-friendly environment in the public sector. The DGPA also stated that it will continue to cooperate with the Executive Yuan's policy to promote enhanced parental leave subsidies for civil servants, ensuring economic security during parental leave. It will conduct a demand survey for employee childcare facilities based on the Executive Yuan's approved Childbirth Policy Plan 2.0 (2026-2029) and ask various agencies to plan concrete promotion measures based on the survey results. The DGPA added that to align with the Executive Yuan's expanded maternity subsidy policy from January 1, 2026, female civil servants receiving civil servant insurance maternity benefits will receive an additional NT$100,000 per birth. The difference in subsidies will be allocated by the DGPA's budget, providing substantial financial assistance to civil servants and alleviating childcare pressure. According to the DGPA's expenditure budget table, NT$1.576979 billion is allocated for civil servant marriage, funeral, birth, and children's education subsidies in 2026, an increase of NT$48 million from the previous year. NT$179.36 million is allocated for enhanced parental leave subsidies for civil servants, a decrease of NT$32.8 million from the previous year. (Edited by Wan Shu-chang) 1150506