Hotels permitted to hire migrant workers as early as November
Hotels permitted to hire migrant workers as early as November
2023-10-12
Taiwan plans to open up its lodging industry to migrant workers, in order to solve a labor shortage. According to transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai, the policy has been drafted and sent to the labor ministry for review. It could take effect as early as November, just in time for the winter holidays. But experts fear that cheap labor will affect the domestic job market, depressing wages and threatening local livelihoods.
White sheets are laid, pillows are fluffed, and the bed is ready to welcome the next guest. As tourism booms post-pandemic, hotels are making up for their COVID-era losses with every holiday. But a labor shortage is limiting the speed of recovery.
Huang Jeng-tsong
Providence University tourism professor
Notably, in remote areas, the labor shortage actually began five or six years ago, when tourist numbers began to rise. And then over the past few years, we had the pandemic. That extended the labor shortage even to cities.
Some large hotels have partnered with universities or are considering hiring retirees, in order to fill the worker shortfall. But with the shortage at 25 to 30% across the lodging industry, the Tourism Administration plans to open up the market to migrant workers. It aims to roll out the policy in November, just in time for the winter holidays.
Huang Jeng-tsong
Providence University tourism professor
Hotel housekeeping and cleaning work can be quite grueling. So even if salaries are raised to support recruitment, it’s still not easy to find workers.
Labor unions say that post-pandemic hotel prices have been sky-high, yet employers have not raised their wages accordingly, leading to employee attrition. They say that introducing cheap labor is a quick fix, but it doesn’t address the reason why hotels are understaffed.
Yang Tsung-pin
Jobseekers’ website spokesperson
If the industry is opened up to migrant workers, a salary threshold should be set, so that the policy doesn’t drag down industry wages and affect local workers. Today there are many middle-aged and senior workers who are willing to enter the lodging industry. When looking for a job, this group is at a relative disadvantage. The introduction of migrant workers could affect their employment opportunities.
Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
In the lodging industry and especially in cleaning roles, there is a serious shortage of workers. We have had long discussions on this with the Ministry of Labor. And now we’ve proposed a preliminary plan, but we need to finalize it with the Ministry of Labor.
With the national labor market shifting, hotels aren’t the only ones struggling to hire. The manufacturing industry opened up to migrant workers this June. But as the government solves the labor shortfall, it faces the second test of easing the impact on domestic workers.
Taiwan plans to open up its lodging industry to migrant workers, in order to solve a labor shortage. According to transport minister Wang Kwo-tsai, the policy has been drafted and sent to the labor ministry for review. It could take effect as early as November, just in time for the winter holidays. But experts fear that cheap labor will affect the domestic job market, depressing wages and threatening local livelihoods.
White sheets are laid, pillows are fluffed, and the bed is ready to welcome the next guest. As tourism booms post-pandemic, hotels are making up for their COVID-era losses with every holiday. But a labor shortage is limiting the speed of recovery.
Huang Jeng-tsong
Providence University tourism professor
Notably, in remote areas, the labor shortage actually began five or six years ago, when tourist numbers began to rise. And then over the past few years, we had the pandemic. That extended the labor shortage even to cities.
Some large hotels have partnered with universities or are considering hiring retirees, in order to fill the worker shortfall. But with the shortage at 25 to 30% across the lodging industry, the Tourism Administration plans to open up the market to migrant workers. It aims to roll out the policy in November, just in time for the winter holidays.
Huang Jeng-tsong
Providence University tourism professor
Hotel housekeeping and cleaning work can be quite grueling. So even if salaries are raised to support recruitment, it’s still not easy to find workers.
Labor unions say that post-pandemic hotel prices have been sky-high, yet employers have not raised their wages accordingly, leading to employee attrition. They say that introducing cheap labor is a quick fix, but it doesn’t address the reason why hotels are understaffed.
Yang Tsung-pin
Jobseekers’ website spokesperson
If the industry is opened up to migrant workers, a salary threshold should be set, so that the policy doesn’t drag down industry wages and affect local workers. Today there are many middle-aged and senior workers who are willing to enter the lodging industry. When looking for a job, this group is at a relative disadvantage. The introduction of migrant workers could affect their employment opportunities.
Wang Kwo-tsai
Transport minister
In the lodging industry and especially in cleaning roles, there is a serious shortage of workers. We have had long discussions on this with the Ministry of Labor. And now we’ve proposed a preliminary plan, but we need to finalize it with the Ministry of Labor.
With the national labor market shifting, hotels aren’t the only ones struggling to hire. The manufacturing industry opened up to migrant workers this June. But as the government solves the labor shortfall, it faces the second test of easing the impact on domestic workers.
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旅宿業擬開放聘用外籍移工 王國材:已提初步方案
2023-10-12
疫後觀光復甦，業者忙不過來，缺工更是讓旅宿量能上不去。觀光署因而研擬，開放旅宿業聘請外籍移工，交通部長王國材表示，已經提供勞動部初步方案，預估最快十一月就能上路，趕上跨年、春節出遊潮。只是也有專家擔心，會衝擊到我國的旅宿從業市場，繼續維持低薪。
鋪上潔白被單，拍鬆枕頭，準備迎接下一位賓客入住。疫後觀光業迅速復甦，業者抓緊每個假期，要彌補疫情間的嚴重虧損，但缺工卻讓旅宿服務量能，難以回升。
[[靜宜大學觀光事業學系副教授 黃正聰]]
“特別是說像偏遠地區，過去應該是在五六年前，我們觀光客開始變多的時候，他們就都有缺工的現象，然後疫情這幾年，變成全面性擴大到，連我們都市裡面，都變成有缺工的狀況”
部分大型飯店，推出產學合作，也評估中高齡勞動力再就業的可能，希望加減補上人力。但旅宿缺工率高達百分之25至30，觀光署因此在研擬開放外籍移工投入勞動市場，預估最快11月就能上路，趕上跨年、春節的旅宿高峰潮。
[[靜宜大學觀光事業學系副教授 黃正聰]]
“旅館的房務跟這些清掃工作，是相當辛苦的工作，所以變成說現在即使把薪資調高，要來聘員工的話，也都不容易聘到員工”
不過勞工團體就質疑，疫後旅宿價格居高不下，但業者卻沒相對應調薪，才導致人才流失，想用開放廉價勞動力來解決問題，是治標不治本。
[[人力銀行發言人 楊宗斌]]
“(若開放要)設定一個薪資門檻，避免來拉低整體這個行業的薪資，影響到國人的一個待遇的水準。現在滿多中高齡勞工，也願意投入這個旅宿業，那變成是說，他們其實是屬於比較求職方面，比較弱勢的一群中高齡勞工的話，會不會因為移工的一個加入，影響到他們求職的機會”
[[交通部長 王國材]]
“旅宿業尤其清潔工的部分，他們缺工比較嚴重，所以跟勞動部有經過很長時間的討論，那現在我們的初步方案也提出來，但是這部分要跟勞動部，再做最後的一個確認”
勞動結構不斷調整，不只旅宿業，製造業也在六月多，開放引進移工，只是政策一體兩面，補足人力的同時，也得思考如何降低對我國勞動市場的衝擊。
疫後觀光復甦，業者忙不過來，缺工更是讓旅宿量能上不去。觀光署因而研擬，開放旅宿業聘請外籍移工，交通部長王國材表示，已經提供勞動部初步方案，預估最快十一月就能上路，趕上跨年、春節出遊潮。只是也有專家擔心，會衝擊到我國的旅宿從業市場，繼續維持低薪。
鋪上潔白被單，拍鬆枕頭，準備迎接下一位賓客入住。疫後觀光業迅速復甦，業者抓緊每個假期，要彌補疫情間的嚴重虧損，但缺工卻讓旅宿服務量能，難以回升。
[[靜宜大學觀光事業學系副教授 黃正聰]]
“特別是說像偏遠地區，過去應該是在五六年前，我們觀光客開始變多的時候，他們就都有缺工的現象，然後疫情這幾年，變成全面性擴大到，連我們都市裡面，都變成有缺工的狀況”
部分大型飯店，推出產學合作，也評估中高齡勞動力再就業的可能，希望加減補上人力。但旅宿缺工率高達百分之25至30，觀光署因此在研擬開放外籍移工投入勞動市場，預估最快11月就能上路，趕上跨年、春節的旅宿高峰潮。
[[靜宜大學觀光事業學系副教授 黃正聰]]
“旅館的房務跟這些清掃工作，是相當辛苦的工作，所以變成說現在即使把薪資調高，要來聘員工的話，也都不容易聘到員工”
不過勞工團體就質疑，疫後旅宿價格居高不下，但業者卻沒相對應調薪，才導致人才流失，想用開放廉價勞動力來解決問題，是治標不治本。
[[人力銀行發言人 楊宗斌]]
“(若開放要)設定一個薪資門檻，避免來拉低整體這個行業的薪資，影響到國人的一個待遇的水準。現在滿多中高齡勞工，也願意投入這個旅宿業，那變成是說，他們其實是屬於比較求職方面，比較弱勢的一群中高齡勞工的話，會不會因為移工的一個加入，影響到他們求職的機會”
[[交通部長 王國材]]
“旅宿業尤其清潔工的部分，他們缺工比較嚴重，所以跟勞動部有經過很長時間的討論，那現在我們的初步方案也提出來，但是這部分要跟勞動部，再做最後的一個確認”
勞動結構不斷調整，不只旅宿業，製造業也在六月多，開放引進移工，只是政策一體兩面，補足人力的同時，也得思考如何降低對我國勞動市場的衝擊。
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