MECO Welcomes Taiwan’s Plan to Establish Recruitment Center in Philippines

Taipei: The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) "warmly welcomes" Taiwan's initiative to establish its first cross-border recruitment center in the Philippines, aimed at facilitating the direct hiring of Filipino migrant workers by Taiwanese employers. MECO Chairperson and Resident Representative Corazon Avecilla-Padiernos emphasized that this development represents the strengthening partnership between the Philippines and Taiwan, signifying a move towards more ethical, transparent, and worker-focused recruitment processes. According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan's Ministry of Labor (MOL) announced last Friday that the new center is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2026. This center will bypass the traditional manpower brokerage system currently in use, offering a more direct hiring process. Under the new system, Taiwanese employers will bear the costs of flight tickets, health checkups, and visas for migrant workers, as stated by Lydia Huang, director general of the MOL's Workforce Development Age ncy. Padiernos noted that the introduction of the direct-hiring mechanism and the shift of financial responsibilities to employers could significantly alleviate the financial burdens faced by Filipino workers and address exploitative brokerage practices. Presently, the recruitment of most migrant workers in Taiwan is managed through brokers, with workers often incurring pre-employment expenses in their home countries. Furthermore, brokers in Taiwan are allowed to charge monthly service fees, which decrease over time. MECO is committed to collaborating with the Philippines' Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Migrant Workers, and relevant agencies in Taiwan to ensure that the new system effectively safeguards the rights and welfare of Filipino workers while fulfilling Taiwan's labor requirements. Although the center is not yet operational, Taiwan's Labor Minister Hung Sun-han confirmed last Friday that a special task force is already in place to process applications from Taiwanese employer s starting January 1, 2026.