TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Labor said Tuesday it wants a meeting next month with its Indian counterparts to discuss the recruitment of Indian migrant workers.

Chuang Kuo-liang (莊國良), deputy head of the Workforce Development Agency's Cross-Border Workforce Management Division, told CNA the second Taiwan-India meeting is expected to be held before the end of February. The working group-level meeting will focus on agreements reached during the first meeting.

Taiwan and India signed a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation in February for Indian migrant workers to fill labor shortages. However, many steps remain before the program can be launched, including recruitment planning and establishing administrative and regulatory frameworks. 

The two countries reached an initial consensus during a meeting in November. This prioritizes the traditional manufacturing sector, with 1,000 Indian workers expected in the first batch, 5% of whom will be hired directly.

There was an agreement to hold meetings online every two months, with additional interim meetings as necessary. Each side has specialized units for direct hiring. In Taiwan, this will be the WDA's Direct Hiring Service Center, while India has the Protector General of Emigrants. 

The direct hiring initiative will be coordinated via India's eMigrate 2.0 portal.  

Chuang said that Indian migrant workers have not previously used a direct hiring system. Therefore, the next meeting will introduce Taiwan's direct hiring platform. Taiwan has also raised some questions about India's eMigrate 2.0 online system.