Taiwan has more than 560,000 immigrants who hail from Southeast Asia and China. The Ministry of the Interior has released a survey that gives a portrait of Taiwan’s immigrant population and the support they need. According to the survey, nearly 93% of the new immigrant population is female, and 70% are aged between 35 and 54. Most of them are active members of the workforce, where they face challenges they hope the government can help them address. Our reporter Stephany Yang has the details.This is Linda Arifjin from Indonesia. She met her Taiwanese husband in the U.K. when she was studying there. Eighteen years ago, she moved to Taiwan. At first she did not speak Chinese and was unfamiliar with the environment. Now, she is an interpreter at the National Immigration Agency''s service center in Taipei, a tour guide at National Taiwan Museum, and an Indonesian teacher at a university. She and her husband have a daughter who is now in high school. Arifjin says she is very grateful for Taiwan''s “New Southbound Policy.”Linda Tjindiawati Arifjin New immigrantIn the first time when I came to Taiwan, I was just an ordinary mother. I raised my daughter, so I’ve been at home around 10 years. After that, I sought an opportunity to be an interpreter. I can use what I''ve learned in Taiwan. Right now, I have the opportunity to be a teacher. An Indonesian teacher in a university. It''s a great opportunity for me. And am very thankful for the Taiwan government, that they gave us the new immigrants an opportunity that we can learn and work here. This is Chung Hsiu-erh, a Vietnamese immigrant. She moved to Taiwan from Vietnam 15 years ago, and worked hard to gain admission to a university. She is currently aPh.D. student, a certified interpreter, and a licensed Vietnamese-language tour guide. On top of that, she runs two restaurants in Taiwan. She’s one of the more than 560,000 new immigrants who have settled in Taiwan. Recently, the Ministry of the Interior released a survey conducted on those who were new immigrants from Southeast Asia and China as of Dec. 31, 2017. Nearly 90% of the respondents said they were satisfied with the work environment in Taiwan.Yang Wen-shanProject leaderMost of these new residents are very happy and have a high level of life satisfaction score in Taiwan. Many of them are in the labor market. From our survey about 79 almost 80% are in the labor market. That’s higher than local Taiwanese people. Because of the Southbound Policy, right now most of the new residents’ immigrant families are very happy for their kids to learn their dialects in school or families. It used to be less than 25%. Now it is 75% of the parents are willing for their children to learn their mother tongues. The survey found that that about 6% of new immigrants hold professional aptitude licenses, compared with about 3% in 2013. However, some 28% of new immigrant workers said that they have low wages, long work hours, or face issues related to their limited Chinese-language ability. Among those seeking jobs, more than 17% encountered difficulties due to language barriers, racism, and a lack of proper documentation. About 16% were interested in starting their own business and hoped that the government would provide subsidies and training. Lu Mei-huiDeputy director at Ministry of LaborWhen it comes to Taiwan’s entrepreneurship resources, the Ministry of Labor isn’t the only government unit that’s working on this. There are others, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The Small and Medium Enterprise Administration has a website. New immigrants can go on the website to find more information. We also provide new immigrants with free consultations and workshops. They can learn how to get started with their business, and how to advance. We also have a website here they can find relevant information. Our service hotline is 0800-092-957. Yang Wen-shanProject leaderAbout 53% of this new residents family they want their kids to return their homeland to work. I think the next step, the government will set up some training programs for them overseas for them to get experience working in their mother’s country. Since 2003, the interior ministry’s “life needs” survey has been conducted every five years. This year’s survey was based on the responses of 18,260 new immigrants who were interviewed across Taiwan from August to December of 2018, and from May to June of 2019.
