Many countries are realizing the need to recruit foreign workers because of the problem of labor shortage. This gives overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) more options to choose a country where they can work. In the light of the stiff competition from other labor-importing countries, the Taiwan government said that it would increase the salary of some OFWs there.

According to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief, Rosalinda Baldoz, Taiwan is set to increase the monthly wage of domestic helpers and factory workers. The current salary of USD 400 or Dh 1,469 will be raised to USD 700 or Dh 2,571.

The higher salary to be offered made Taiwan a probable job destination for OFWs. Baldoz said, “We hope to get more jobs for workers in Taiwan, especially the high-end jobs." About 90,000 Filipino workers are currently working in Taiwan. Majority of the workers that make up this statistic are employed as factory workers.

This is in contrast with the reactions of other labor-importing countries, which protested Philippine government’s new policy on the deployment of domestic helpers that requires foreign employers to offer a 100% increase in the salary of domestic helpers from USD 200 to USD 400.

The new hiring policy which took effect December 16 of last year also adjusted the minimum age requirement from 18 to 23 years old, and prohibited the charging of  placement fees of recruitment ag3ncies.

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Baldoz and Augusto Syjuco, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority chief visited Taiwan for a preparatory discussion with the Taiwan’s labor officials. The Philippine government aims to implement a system that will give OFWs the right to complain against abusive employees even before their contract expires.

The POEA chief said, “We will pilot-test a new system wherein workers with complaints of recruitment violation against their employers and recruiters may file these at the POEA [in Taiwan] even before their contracts expire. Once all proceedings are completed, the complaint will be turned over to POEA and on the basis of the evidence gathered, (the labor agency) could resolve the case in behalf of the workers on site." Baldoz said.