Taiwan to Open Its First Overseas Recruitment Centre: Implications for Responsible Recruitment and Migrant Workers Protection
- Mahée Leclerc
- Dec 29, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 5
Taiwan is preparing to open its first overseas recruitment centre in the Philippines in early 2026, marking a significant shift in how migrant workers are recruited and how recruitment-related costs are allocated.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor (MOL), the new recruitment centre will allow employers to hire migrant workers directly, without relying on private brokers. Under this model, key recruitment costs, including airfare, health checks, and visa fees, will in principle be borne by employers rather than workers.
"Though the center has yet to open, Labor Minister Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said the MOL already has a special task force in place to take applications for workers from local employers starting Jan. 1, 2026.", Focus Taiwan.
The initiative will initially target sectors facing acute labour shortages, such as hospitality and port-related services, with plans to expand to other major migrant worker source countries, including Indonesia and Thailand.
Are you working on the remediation of recruitment fees in Taiwan?
Why the Philippines matters: a pioneer in migrant workers' protection
The Philippines, through the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and its predecessor institutions, has long been recognised as a regional and global pioneer in migrant worker welfare and Fair Recruitment governance. Over the past decade, the country has strengthened regulation of private recruitment agencies, expanded worker orientation and welfare services, and improved grievance and complaint mechanisms. While there is still room for systems' improvement, a lot of work has been done to improve the recruitment and deployment of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
These reforms have positioned the Philippines as a reference point for destination countries and international organisations seeking address forced labour risks in labour migration systems.
By adopting a government-to-government recruitment approach with the Philippines, Taiwan is building on an institutional framework that places migrant worker protection at the centre of recruitment processes, before workers even depart their home country.
Responsible recruitment risks in Taiwan’s labour migration system
Historically, Taiwan’s labour migration system has relied heavily on intermediary-driven recruitment models. While lawful, these systems have frequently resulted in migrant workers paying high recruitment fees, often financed through loans, prior to employment, in addition to local "broker fees" or "service fees" paid to Taiwanese recruitment agencies.
Such practices have been closely linked to risks of debt bondage, a forced labour indicator in gloal supply chains. As referenced in the ILO indicators of forced labour, 2025 revised edition.
Recent enforcement actions continue to expose these gaps between regulatory requirements and recruitment practices on the ground. According to the Taipei Times, Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor fined a labour broker more than NT$10 million (approximately US$318,000) for illegally charging migrant workers job-placement fees. The broker had collected fees linked to job transfers and contract renewals, costs prohibited under the Employment Service Act (就業服務法), which only allows limited monthly service fees to be charged to workers. Authorities described the case as the highest fine imposed for illegal recruitment fees to date, following worker complaints and inspections, and noted that the broker’s licence could also be suspended.
Alongside domestic enforcement, trade-related actions, including the Giant Bicycles Withhold Release Order (WRO) issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, have significantly increased scrutiny of recruitment practices in Taiwan.
In this context, Taiwan’s move toward direct overseas recruitment reflects growing global expectations around responsible recruitment and supply chain accountability.
Alignment with the Employer Pays Principle
While the new overseas recruitment centre will not eliminate all recruitment-related risks, it signals closer alignment with the Employer Pays Principle, a core standard of international ethical recruitment frameworks.
In practice, this approach has the potential to:
reduce migrant workers’ exposure to recruitment fees and debt,
limit reliance on intermediaries and potential sub-agents,
clarify employer responsibility for recruitment-related costs, and
support corporate human rights due diligence under emerging regulations.
For brands and suppliers operating in Taiwan, recruitment practices are increasingly viewed not only as an ethical risk but as a strong business and reputational risk in their operations.
Implementation will determine impact
As with any recruitment reform, the effectiveness of this initiative will depend on implementation. Transparency, oversight, worker access to remedy, and coordination between sending and destination country authorities will be critical to ensuring that migrant workers genuinely benefit from the new system.
For companies, this development should be seen as an opportunity to reassess recruitment models, map recruitment corridors, review recruitment fee exposure, and strengthen engagement with suppliers and recruitment partners.
Responsible recruitment in Taiwan is evolving rapidly. Companies that proactively align with these changes will be better positioned to manage risk, meet regulatory expectations, and protect migrant workers in their supply chains.
Interested in recruitment-fee remediation in Taiwan?
As scrutiny of recruitment practices continues to increase, many brands and suppliers are reassessing their exposure to recruitment fees, debt-bondage risks, and forced labour indicators in Taiwan.
Our team has supported recruitment-fee remediation initiatives in Taiwan, including:
Recruitment-fee investigations and remediation programmes,
Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) and recruitment risk assessments,
The development of recruitment agencies due diligence tools, and
Reviews of recruitment-related service agreements with agencies and intermediaries.
This work supports companies in identifying historical and ongoing risks, designing remediation approaches aligned with international responsible recruitment standards, and strengthening preventive measures across recruitment corridors.
If you are exploring or implementing recruitment-fee remediation in Taiwan, feel free to get in touch to discuss scope, methodology, and next steps.
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