Taiwan Eases Civil Service Rules for Family Care, Reduces Dual Roles

Taiwan's civil service is implementing significant changes to its job proxy and leave policies to create a more supportive and flexible workplace, particularly for employees facing increased family care responsibilities due to declining birth rates and an aging population. These adjustments aim to balance the needs of employees with family obligations and the operational requirements of government agencies.

A key revision allows agencies to hire contract employees to handle the original duties of non-supervisory staff who are acting as supervisors. This addresses the long-standing issue where acting supervisors were often burdened with both their original tasks and supervisory responsibilities, a situation described as "one person holding two jobs." This change is expected to reduce workload, improve administrative efficiency, and make the civil service more appealing.

The regulations for special leave have also been relaxed. Recognizing that caring for infants and grandchildren involves similar responsibilities, the rules for parental leave (育嬰留停) and grandparental leave (育孫留停) have been unified. Agencies can no longer refuse applications for leave to care for grandchildren up to the age of three, provided there are no specific circumstances preventing it. This allows civil servants to better plan for family care without fear of job repercussions.

Further flexibility is introduced for contract employees. Previously, there were potential staffing gaps when contract workers took annual leave or compensatory leave before starting parental or maternity leave. The new regulations now include these pre-leave periods within the scope of hiring replacement staff, ensuring a smoother transition and continuous operation. These comprehensive adjustments reflect a commitment to a more human-centered public service that accommodates the diverse life stages of its employees.