Why Taiwan wants to hire workers from the Northeastern states under the new labour pact with India

Talks have reached advanced stages with states such as Assam, Mizoram and Nagaland, it is learnt, and the recruitment process is set to begin in a few months. Workers proficient in English will be prioritised under the programme and orientation sessions will be conducted by Indian authorities in collaboration with the Taiwanese companies before their departure, said sources.

Under the February 2024 agreement, Taiwan will deploy Indian blue-collar workers in sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and construction amid labour shortages created by an ageing population and lower birth rates.

The pact says India will recruit and train these workers while Taiwan will decide on the duration of the programme, the number of workers to be absorbed (based on the success of the pilot) and the industries they are assigned to.

After the signing of the pact in February, Indian and Taiwanese officials met in Taipei in November 2024 to chart out a roadmap. The next set of issues, including wages and duration of employment, will likely come up during the next meeting that will be held virtually in February, sources in Taiwan said.

During November’s meeting, after discussing the preliminary plan for introducing Indian migrant workers, Taiwan and India reached a number of agreements including allowing for 5% direct hiring by local businesses and setting up a dedicated window for the same.

Indian officials will register these workers on the Ministry of External Affairs; eMigrate portal so that their rights and interests are taken care of, sources said. If all goes well, the industry category and number of people will be expanded, they said.

According to 2024 data put out by Taiwanese authorities, Taiwan hosts over 700,000 migrant workers, with most coming from countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. This is the first time Taiwan is looking beyond South Asia to fill skilled labour gaps.

India will now design a direct-hiring portal and designate agencies in conjunction with the Skill Development Ministry and state governments.

India already has a number of migration and mobility agreements signed with various countries, including with the Gulf Cooperation Council nations (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates) and Jordan.

In recent years, such agreements have also been worked out with Denmark, Japan, Portugal, Mauritius and Israel.