TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Labor on Tuesday urged three categories of foreign professionals with permanent residency to ensure their employers have enrolled them in employment insurance.
Chen Mei-nu (陳美女), head of the MOL's Department of Labor Insurance, said that, in alignment with the National Development Council’s talent recruitment and retention policy, Article 25 was added last year to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals, per Tai Sounds. The amendment stipulates that employed foreign nationals with permanent residency in three designated categories are subject to the Employment Insurance Act.
The categories include “foreign professionals,” referring to those in white-collar positions, and “foreign special professionals,” individuals with expertise needed in Taiwan, many of whom qualify for the Employment Gold Card. “Foreign senior professionals” are those recognized for exceptional achievements in their fields, such as Plum Blossom Card holders.
Chen said that enrollment under this provision is mandatory, and employers must comply with it when hiring eligible individuals. Once enrolled, foreign professionals are entitled to unemployment benefits, early reemployment incentives, vocational training allowances, parental leave pay, and subsidies for National Health Insurance premiums for themselves and their dependents.
She said parental leave benefits are the same as for Taiwanese, covering 80% of the insured salary, Tai Sounds reported. Dependents of unemployed foreign workers enrolled in National Health Insurance are also eligible for premium subsidies.
However, eligibility for major benefits such as unemployment or parental leave payments generally requires at least one full year of insurance coverage.
Taiwan has about 48,000 permanent resident certificate holders, but only 1,633 are enrolled in employment insurance. Chen said this is largely because the program applies only to those classified as “employed workers,” according to Tai Sounds.
Some permanent residents obtained their status through investment, while others, such as faculty at national universities, are covered by separate public-sector insurance systems. These groups are therefore not included in the MOL’s employment insurance program.
Chen reminded employers to indicate the worker’s status as a foreign professional with permanent residency on enrollment forms and submit supporting documents. Employers who fail to comply face fines of up to 10 times the insurance premium.
