Employers and migrant advocates protest Taipei ministries over live-in caregiver gaps

Employers and migrant-worker groups held separate demonstrations outside Taiwan's Labor and Health ministries, each demanding faster replacement and better public support for live-in caregivers.

Two protests unfolded in Taipei on Tuesday, targeting the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The International Association of Family and Employers with Disabilities, led by Heidi Chang, demanded a public debate with Labor Minister Hung Sun-han, arguing that families face prolonged care gaps when migrant caregivers are unavailable, such as during maternity leave, and that replacement procedures are too slow and costly.

A participant named Tseng recounted her family's struggle after their caregiver became pregnant, noting a 20-day paperwork delay and a quoted NT$18,000 fee for a new caregiver that remains unmet. Opposition legislator Wang Hung-wei joined the call for quicker emergency care measures. At the Health ministry, groups including the Taiwan International Workers' Association and Independent Living Taiwan pressed for broader affordable substitute-care options, subsidies for low-income households, and a model where institutions, rather than individual homes, employ caregivers to allow shift work and seamless coverage.

Representatives of migrant caregiver unions highlighted that workers often cannot take leave without paying for replacements. The ministries responded by noting existing community-based care services and a NT$2 billion subsidy for respite and short-term substitute care, while pledging further cooperation to expand resources.