TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The oversight branch of the government is conducting a survey to better understand the problems and challenges facing foreign domestic caregivers.

Carried out by the Control Yuan, the online poll seeks information about the work environment of live-in carers and the reasons they apply for a change of employer. Anonymity is guaranteed for participants, and the information collected will not be shared with other government agencies, according to the Control Yuan.

Both current and former migrant caregivers are invited to respond to the questionnaire, which is available in Tagalog, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese. The poll will last until May 31.

As of January, there were 208,513 domestic carers in Taiwan, per the Ministry of Labor. The Employment Service Act (就業服務法) stipulates that such laborers cannot seek a new employer or switch to another industry, which has bred discontent among those who are unsatisfied with their job or feeling ill-treated by their employers.

In January, many took to the streets demanding the issue be addressed amid growing concern about the rights of migrant workers.

Labor groups have advocated for better working conditions and the right to change employers for domestic workers, who are not entitled to protection under the Labor Standards Act (勞基法) and therefore suffer from stagnant wages. Meanwhile, representatives of employers have argued that the workers are given a choice before they sign up for a contractual relationship in Taiwan and that allowing them to hop jobs, for example to a factory, would upend the care system in the long term, wrote NOWNews.