Taiwan will allow families with at least one child under the age of 12 to hire migrant domestic helpers, significantly expanding eligibility under a new policy aimed at easing childcare burdens.
The policy was announced at the Executive Yuan by Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung, who said the current requirements had been widely viewed as too strict.
Under existing rules, only households with three children under the age of six are permitted to apply for migrant domestic helpers. As a result, just 2,003 households out of Taiwan’s more than 870,000 migrant workers employed domestic helpers as of late January, according to data from the Ministry of Labor.
The revised policy lowers the threshold to one child under 12, potentially making more than 1.44 million households eligible to apply.
Families that qualify must meet specific financial requirements. Employers are required to pay a minimum monthly salary of NT$20,000, along with a NT$5,000 employment security fee per worker. Foreign employers must pay an additional NT$10,000 monthly fee. The employment security fee is used to fund labor welfare programs and support the administration of migrant worker policies.
According to the Ministry of Labor’s Workforce Development Agency, households with special needs or disadvantaged conditions will be prioritized during the application process to ensure faster access to domestic help.
The Ministry of Labor confirmed that migrant domestic helpers will continue to be recruited from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, with no changes to existing sourcing arrangements.
Officials acknowledged that the policy may have implications for Taiwan’s labor market. In response, the Ministry of Labor said it will introduce vocational training programs, employment incentives, and subsidies to assist local babysitters and domestic workers in transitioning to other roles.
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