Taipei: Premier Cho Jung-tai has approved an expansion of eligibility criteria for hiring migrant domestic helpers, requiring employers to pay monthly fees ranging from NT$2,000 (US$62.5) to NT$10,000. These fees aim to support Ministry of Labor (MOL) initiatives designed to mitigate potential impacts on the local workforce.

According to Focus Taiwan, the decision was made during a weekly Cabinet meeting. The new regulations now allow families with at least one child under 12 to apply for foreign domestic helpers. Previously, eligibility was restricted to families with three or more children aged six or under.

The new policy mandates that families hiring migrant domestic helpers pay a monthly "employment stabilization" fee of NT$5,000. For families with special needs, this fee is reduced to NT$2,000. Special needs families include those with one child under six and another under 12, families with three children under 12, families with a disabled member and a child under 12, single-parent families with a child under 12, families with a child under 12 diagnosed with a rare disease or disability, and those with a child under six experiencing developmental delays.

Foreign employers residing in Taiwan must pay NT$10,000 per month in employment stabilization fees, as outlined by the MOL's Workforce Development Agency (WDA). WDA official Chuang Kuo-liang indicated that fees for foreign families with special care needs will be announced prior to the application opening on April 13.

Labor Minister Hung Sun-han announced during a Cabinet news conference that the MOL will collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to provide job-matching services to Taiwanese babysitters and domestic helpers potentially affected by the new regulations. Currently, there are approximately 8,000 licensed Taiwanese babysitters and 13,000 domestic helpers.

To offset potential employment impacts on local babysitters, the MOL plans to extend its subsidy program for companies offering employee childcare services.