| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 公共行政學系公共政策碩士在職專班 === 106 === According to the statistics of the Ministry of the Interior, as of November 2017, Taiwan’s new resident spouses have reached 529,000 people, especially immigrants by marriage from Mainland China and Southeast Asia, becoming the “fifth ethnic population” in Taiwan after Minnan, Hakka, mainlander, and indigenous ethnic groups. Not only have important issues in educational, political, social, and demographic aspects been raised, but the employment issue must also not be overlooked, since it involves the provision of labor force and the resolution of social issues. Female new residents that immigrate to Taiwan can not only directly enter the labor market and affect the supply and demand of labor force, but also replenish future labor force through childbirth. The 2003, 2008, and 2013 survey reports on foreign and Mainland Chinese spouses’ living needs show that among female new residents, the importance of the demand for “employment rights protection” is ranked first and second. Clearly, there is an urgent need for maintaining family economy and living stability.
Through the compilation of literature related to female new residents’ employment obstacles and the Taiwan government’s current measures for promoting female new residents’ employment, an insight was gained into the existing female new residents’ employment plights and the effectiveness of the government’s employment measures. Additionally, through in-depth interviews, the opinions of female new residents, employers, and public employment service institutions were collected, which underwent research problem analysis and summarization. Mainland Chinese spouses were the main target for this research, including eight effective interview respondents (six mainland Chinese spouses, one employer, and one employee from a public employment service institution). Based on the data compilation and summary and analysis of the respondents’ opinions and views, the obstructing factors were expected to be found. Furthermore, the study attempted to propose specific recommendations and strategies in order to put manpower to effective uses and resolve their financial burden.
Empirical analysis results show that the Mainland Chinese spouses had many employment obstacles of various degrees. In the personal and family aspects, they are 1. Language barriers. 2. Lack of autonomy over “going out to work”. The husband or mother-in-law has the right to decide, and there is insufficient family support. 3. Taking care of children. 4. Transportation. 5. Unable to go out to work because one is responsible for most of the household chores. 6. Unable to work overtime or take shifts because one needs to take care of the family, thus affecting employers’ willingness to hire them. 7. Only able to engage in simple labor due to the lack of special expertise or education. 8. Different native hometowns resulting in living and employment adaptation related barriers. The social and employer aspects include: 1. Employers and employees discriminate against them, making them feel they are treated unfairly 2. The society and TV media display prejudice or stereotypes about them, which imperceptibly causes rejection of employment of new residents. 3. Employers are unclear about the laws and regulations. Concerned with breaking the law, they rather not hire those that have not yet obtained an R.O.C. I.D. card. 4. The salary offer of the employer is so low that it is not enough to make ends meet, which in turn affects their willingness to work. 5. There is a lack of job search information and they can only obtain employment information through word of mouth. The regulatory and system aspects include: 1. Mainland Chinese spouses’ acquisition of the right to work is too time-consuming, making them feel like “second-class nationals”. 2. It takes to long to acquire an R.O.C. I.D., which affects their time of entering the workplace. 3. Their academic qualifications are not recognized, preventing them from applying for high-level work. 4. Those who have not lived in Taiwan for more than ten years are not allowed to take public office examination, thus missing the opportunity for a stable job.
In view of the above study, this paper recommends that the government and private sectors should jointly play out the function of assisting in employment. Through links and cooperation between private agencies, maximum synergetic effects can be achieved, while the concept of a friendly workplace should be strengthened, and policies and tools should be actively reviewed and improved. Finally, outdated laws and regulations ought to be appropriately modified in order to meet the needs of female new residents, thereby enhancing employment rates.
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