In the News

Government urged to do more for women returners

The CLA is planning a series of initiatives to increase women’s labor force participation rates in Taiwan. (Staff photo/Chang Su-ching)

• Publication Date：02/01/2010
• Source： Economic Daily News

The government should work to enhance employment opportunities for women returning to work after a career break, scholars said Jan. 31 in response to a recent Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics labor survey.

The survey shows the female employment rate has outnumbered the male rate for 14 consecutive years in Taiwan. The female employment rate reached 95.04 percent in 2009, leading that of males by 1.58 percentage points. An additional 681,000 women entered the job market in the past 10 years. However, the total number of employed women is still lower than that of men.

The DGBAS survey shows between 1991 and 1995 both male and female employment rates exceeded 98 percent, with women starting to take the lead in 1996. Observers believe the recent economic downturn and rising male unemployment have pressured more women into the job market.

“The increased number of female employees is just a return to normal, for women have actually been underemployed in recent years,” said Hsin Ping-lung, an associate professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of National Development, noting the labor participation rate (the number of working-age persons employed or unemployed but looking for work) for women did not exceed 50 percent and was lower than that in South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“The government should work to raise employment for women if it seeks to encourage mothers to go back to the job scene,” Hsin said.

Statistics show the employment rate for middle-aged and older women, as well as those reaching the retirement age of 65, has been increasing in recent years on the back of global economic fluctuations and a personal sense of crisis.

“People are changing their plans for retirement savings, delaying retirement and extending their working years. They have the resources to make a contribution to society if they continue to work,” Hsin said.

The Council of Labor Affairs said to stimulate the female labor participation rate, the government would take measures to help women remain on the job, whether they are married, pregnant or already mothers, and would relax requirements for women seeking to return to work. (PCT-THN)