Based on data from the Central Bank of Taiwan, it is known that migrant workers sent more than US $ 3 billion from Taiwan to their home countries in 2018.
Reported by Taiwan News, Ho Pei-Chen, deputy head of the Foreign Exchange Department of Taiwan’s central bank said that the increase in remittances was in line with with an increase in the number of migrant workers. In the first 11 months of 2018, migrant workers sent more than US$2.8 billion out of Taiwan.
Ho Pei-Chen also said that based on statistics compiled by the Ministry of Manpower (MOL), migrant workers on a monthly basis per worker send almost half of their total income, which is US$ 300.
“MOL estimates that domestic workers in Taiwan earn an average of US$ 647 per month and workers in the industrial sector earn an average of US$ 902 per month, Ho was quoted as saying by Taiwan News.
The figures, according to Ho, show that migrant workers are attracted to work in Taiwan, especially those from Southeast Asian countries, because they are able to earn better salaries in Taiwan than in their home countries.
The number of migrant workers in Taiwan has continued to grow since Taiwan first allowed them to enter its territory to meet a labor shortage in 1993. According to MOL statistics, the number has increased from 480,400 people in November 2013 to 545,000 people a year later and 586,000 people two years later. , before surpassing the 600,000 level in June 2016. At the end of 2017 the number of migrant workers in Taiwan reached 676,100 and this number increased to 703,162 at the end of October 2018.
