Over 1,000 Businesses in Central Taiwan Retain Talent by Converting Senior Migrant Workers to Foreign Technical Manpower

Central News Agency (CNA Reporter Hao Hsueh-ching, Taichung, 19th) Facing labor shortages and a technical manpower gap in the manufacturing industry, the Taichung-Changhua-Nantou Regional Branch of the Workforce Development Agency announced today that as of this April, over a thousand enterprises in the Taichung-Changhua-Nantou area have utilized the "Long-Term Retention Program for Migrant Workers" to convert senior migrant workers familiar with production lines into foreign technical manpower. The Taichung-Changhua-Nantou Regional Branch explained in a press release that the "Long-Term Retention Program for Migrant Workers" allows outstanding migrant workers who have legally worked in Taiwan for at least 6 years and possess basic Mandarin language ability and technical skills to be converted into foreign technical manpower upon application by their employer. This breaks through the original work year limit, allowing them to remain on the production line. The Taichung-Changhua-Nantou Regional Branch stated that from 2025 to April 2026, more than a thousand enterprises in its jurisdiction have used the Ministry of Labor's "Long-Term Retention Program for Migrant Workers" to convert senior migrant workers familiar with production lines and equipment operation into foreign technical manpower. This reduces the costs of repeated training and personnel integration, and allows for the stable continuation of production lines and technology. For businesses, the greatest benefit of the program is the ability to retain senior migrant workers who are familiar with equipment operation, production processes, and corporate culture. This not only helps to stabilize product quality and technology transfer but also reduces training and replacement costs, improving overall production line efficiency. The Taichung-Changhua-Nantou Regional Branch cited Hon Chuan International, a major domestic beverage contract manufacturer, as an example. In recent years, it has successfully converted many senior and outstanding migrant workers into foreign technical manpower, stabilizing production line quality through technology transfer. Hon Chuan International's General Manager, Tsao Hung-yu, stated that the company has long promoted an equal opportunity workplace, with the company fully bearing the brokerage fees for overseas migrant workers and providing training in Mandarin and various professional certifications to create a friendly working environment. Furthermore, the company has broken the promotion and salary adjustment framework of domestic enterprises, allowing migrant workers to enjoy the same promotion and salary adjustment system as domestic employees. This helps employees improve their technical skills and career development while receiving corresponding compensation. To assist enterprises in using this program to retain skilled senior talent, the Ministry of Labor will continue to hold "Manufacturing Industry Long-Term Retention Program for Migrant Workers Briefings" in Changhua and Taichung in June and July, respectively, and welcomes enterprises to participate. (Editor: Chen Jen-hua) 1150519