Baushuan Ger (center), representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, displays the MOU on recruiting Indian migrant workers Feb. 16 in New Delhi. (MOFA)
 

Taiwan and India concluded a memorandum of understanding Feb. 16 to facilitate employment of Indian workers in Taiwan, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The pact was signed via video link by Baushuan Ger, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in India, and Manharsinh Laxmanbhai Yadav, director general of the India-Taipei Association. The two sides will schedule meetings to discuss the number of workers and the industry sectors they are needed for, among other issues, the ministry said.

According to the MOFA, Taiwan and India have been expanding cooperation in recent years in areas such as culture and education, investment and trade, science and technology, and medicine and public health.

As well as further deepening the partnership, the pact will help mitigate the impact of Taiwan’s aging population and declining birth rate on the country’s workforce, the ministry added.

In a statement released the same day, the Ministry of Labor welcomed the MOU, saying that the move is in response to increasing labor shortages in Taiwan’s agriculture, construction and manufacturing sectors, as well as in the care sector.

The MOL said Indian workers participate in the labor force in many European, Middle Eastern and Asian countries, while Japan and South Korea are also planning to invite an Indian workforce to their countries.

The ministry will conduct thorough assessments to ascertain individuals with a set level of education and good command of English, and will first conduct a small-scale trial and evaluate results before recruiting further workers from the South Asian country. (SFC-E)