TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday that a potential Taiwan-Eswatini labor cooperation deal is still in the feasibility assessment stage.
Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) said at a press conference that the current priority is assisting Eswatini in upgrading its vocational training centers. The foreign ministry has also coordinated with the Ministry of Labor’s Workforce Development Agency to send personnel to Eswatini this week for on-site assessments.
The inspection focuses on three vocational training centers to evaluate Eswatini’s training capacity in key professional fields, including manufacturing, tourism and hospitality services, energy, and construction, Yen said. The assessment will serve as the basis for future efforts to help Eswatini expand training categories and increase trainee capacity, he said.
In the future, graduates could be priority hires for Taiwanese businesses operating in the planned Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park in Eswatini, Yen said. This would help promote employment and support industrial upgrading in the country.
Regarding whether Taiwan may eventually introduce workers or professional talent from Eswatini, Yen said the issue involves many ministries and agencies. He emphasized that any foreign workers coming to Taiwan must comply with Taiwan’s regulations governing migrant labor recruitment.
If any future migrant worker recruitment plan is launched, Taiwan will prioritize safeguarding national security, public health, and local employment, Yen said.
