Date: 2021-11-04
Source: Department of Information Services, Executive Yuan

At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Su Tseng-chang received a Ministry of Economic Affairs briefing on a basic wage subsidy plan for COVID-affected businesses. Starting in January next year, the government will provide employers with a fixed subsidy to help them bear the costs associated with the increase in the minimum wage.

The premier recently approved a hike in the national minimum wage to take effect January 1, 2022. However, because COVID-19 has had a greater impact on industries that depend on domestic demand and service industries, an increase in the minimum wage would be an added burden for them. To assist businesses impacted by the pandemic, starting next January the government will provide qualified employers with a fixed subsidy of NT$1,000 (US$35.89) for each full-time employee and NT$560 (US$20.10) for each part-time employee. The subsidy scheme will be implemented for a total of six months to help those truly in need, he said.