GRAYING POPULATION: With an estimated 130,000 people resigning each year to care for an elderly relative, a lawmaker called for action to assist them

Taipei Times
Date: May 03, 2019
By: Ann Maxon  /  Staff reporter

The Ministry of Labor is to convene a meeting with company and union representatives next month to discuss whether to introduce caregiving leave, Minister of Labor Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) said at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Taiwan has a care-dependent population of between 710,000 and 790,000, with about 2.3 million of the working population taking care of them, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) said at of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) at said.

Every year, an estimated 133,000 people resign from their jobs to care for an older family member and the situation could worsen because of a rapidly graying population, she said.

A key demand of demonstrators in Wednesday’s International Workers’ Day march was that the government introduce caregiving leave of 30 to 180 days and provide subsidies covering 60 percent of employees’ salaries during the leave, she said.    [FULL  STORY]