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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

Taiwan's new childcare benefits criticized for employer dependency

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Taiwan's Ministry of Labor has introduced a "childcare gift package" including a daily one-hour reduction in work time for parents with children under 12.
  • Legislators criticized the plan, arguing that the reduced work hour option requires employer consent, leaving workers dependent on their employers' approval.
  • They also pointed out that the "childcare leave" duration has not increased, despite the name change from "childcare leave," potentially misleading parents.

Taiwan's Ministry of Labor has launched a national "Childcare Friendly Workplace Incentive Program," which includes a provision allowing parents with children under 12 to reduce their daily work hours by one hour. However, the initiative has drawn criticism from lawmakers who argue that the flexibility offered is insufficient.

The one-hour daily work reduction requires 'labor-management agreement,' meaning employees still need their employer's consent. This creates a significant gap between the policy's promise and its practical application.

— Wang Yu-minLegislator Wang Yu-min criticizes the new childcare policy for requiring employer approval for reduced work hours.

Legislator Wang Yu-min highlighted that the one-hour daily work reduction requires "labor-management agreement," meaning employees still need their employer's consent. This dependency on employer approval, she argued, creates a significant gap between the policy's promise and its practical application, leading to disappointment among parents.

Wang questioned why the government did not mandate this right directly through legislation, ensuring that parents of young children could exercise this option without needing to seek permission. The legislator also criticized the renaming of "childcare leave" from "childcare leave," stating that the total duration of leave has not increased. She suggested this rebranding could mislead parents into believing they have more leave days than they actually do.

Why not 'take a step at a time' and directly mandate it through legislation?

— Wang Yu-minLegislator Wang Yu-min questions the government's approach to implementing the childcare policy.

Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun acknowledged that the total duration of childcare leave has not increased. He explained that the core change lies in flexibility, allowing for single-day leave requests, unlike the previous system. He also noted that while the government aims to incentivize employers, the law does not mandate the hour reduction, citing the need to consider the operational feasibility across various industries. He added that many countries, including Japan and South Korea, also retain employer discretion in similar policies.

The total duration of childcare leave has indeed not increased, but the core change in the policy lies in flexibility.

— Hsu Ming-chunMinister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun explains the changes to childcare leave provisions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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