Yiin admitted that the Council of Labor Affairs had recently discussed, on unofficial occasions, the idea of slashing the number of foreign workers in Taiwan, but he said Premier Liu Chao-shiuan has ruled out that possibility at a time when local businesses are experiencing difficulties amid sagging economic conditions across the globe. Foreign laborers are usually placed in dangerous, labor-intensive or night-shift jobs that Taiwanese workers are not willing to do, and represent a significant work force in Taiwan companies, he said.

Against such a background, Yiin said, his ministry is opposed to the idea of replacing foreign workers with Taiwanese workers to help Taiwan’s industry better cope with rising operating costs. There are more than 300,000 foreign workers in Taiwan, most of whom are from Southeast Asian countries.