Taipei: Nearly one in four employers in Taiwan failed to comply with labor regulations for student and part-time workers during recent inspections, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Tuesday. In 2024, the ministry conducted 1,800 labor inspections focusing on the labor rights of these groups, uncovering violations in 448 cases-a violation rate of 24.89 percent-including several well-known companies and even state-owned enterprises.

According to Focus Taiwan, total fines issued reached NT$12.82 million (US$439,000), with three employers referred to prosecutors for assigning underage workers to illegal night shifts. The most common violation involved failing to pay correct wages for work performed on designated rest days, accounting for 133 cases. This was followed by failure to provide double pay for work on national holidays with 113 cases, and requiring employees to work more than six consecutive days with 109 cases, the MOL data showed.

The restaurant industry emerged as the worst offender, responsible for 48 percent of all violations, according to the ministry. Lin Yu-tang, head of the Ministry of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, noted at a press conference that the violation rate for student and part-time workers was higher than the 18-20 percent average observed across all industries.

Labor Minister Hung Sun-han added that the youth unemployment rate in May 2025 stood at 7.57 percent-down 0.7 and 0.9 percentage points from the same period one and three years ago, respectively. It is also the lowest May figure in 18 years, suggesting that more young people are joining the workforce through summer jobs to earn income or gain early exposure to the job market. Hung urged employers to fully comply with labor regulations.