Taipei: Silks Hotel Group Chairman Steven Pan has called on the Taiwanese government to ease regulations concerning the employment of foreign students and interns in Taiwan. Pan, who also serves on the board of the Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce in Taipei, emphasized that such measures could alleviate the labor shortages currently affecting Taiwan's tourism sector. According to Focus Taiwan, Pan drew parallels with Japan's approach, noting that under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, tourism was promoted as a key growth sector. This strategy enabled tourism to become Japan's second-largest industry, following the automobile industry in terms of generating foreign trade surplus. A notable policy under Abe's administration allowed foreign students and interns to work in Japan for up to five years. While Pan did not specify the exact changes he proposes for Taiwan's regulations, he highlighted existing restrictions under Taiwan's Employment Service Act. Currently, foreign students enroll ed in Taiwanese universities can obtain work permits to work up to 20 hours per week during academic semesters and more during vacation periods. However, students enrolled in short-term language courses are prohibited from working. The call for regulatory relaxation comes amid a labor shortage in Taiwan, as reported by a survey from the Ministry of Labor (MOL) published in October. The survey revealed 66,300 job vacancies, with the service sector experiencing the most significant shortage, comprising 53.8 percent of the vacancies.