3 Types of Foreigners in Taiwan 
There are roughly 750,000 legal foreign residents in Taiwan. All of them are individual people with different viewpoints and experiences. As a platform that calls itself "foreigners in Taiwan" we cannot represent every person at once. In fact, we are just Americans living in Taipei. Some people like to separate foreigners into different groups, but it is important to remember there is not just one type of foreigner, there are many of us and all of our voices should be heard.
Unfortunately, most foreigners in Taiwan are working in inhumane conditions, being exploited for cheap labor. Most of their hardships go unseen and unheard.
Statistical Analysis of Foreigners in Taiwan 外国人在å°ç£çš„統計分æž
As per the bureau of statistics, of the 750,000 foreign residents in Taiwan, there are about 630,00 migrant workers, 41,916 students, 20,000 household workers, 7,000 teachers, 6,000 unemployed, 5,000 teenagers, 5,000 business people, 2,500 engineers, and 1,500 missionaries.
Of these, about 250,000 are Indonesian, 219,000 are Vietnamese, 144,000 are Filipino, 60,000 are Thai, 21,000 are Malay, 12,000 are Japanese, 9,000 are American, and 30,000 are from other countries.
Below I will give an overview of the current situation of migrant workers in Taiwan, as well as examples from personal stories of the migrant workers themselves, as well as solutions to the problem.
· Most foreign migrants work as domestic caretakers, factory workers, or fisherman
· Foreign migrants are not entitled to the labor standards act, and have wages lower than the standard limited wage in Taiwan
· Foreign blue collar workers are subject to massive overtime or no rest at all
· They cannot switch employers at will
· Many have to pay excessive monthly brokers fees even when the broker provides no service to them
· Many have been forced into “debt bondage” by their brokers, being forced to pay huge loans to their brokers so that they will not leave their work
· Most face racial discrimination because of the socioeconomic status of their home country
· Some are mistaken for illegal immigrants and put in unsanitary prisons
· Many have been beaten, sexually abused, starved, forbidden contact with the outside, exploited, given less salary than originally agreed upon, or locked inside their residences for extended periods.
As fellow foreigners in Taiwan, we care about other foreigners in Taiwan, no matter what country they are from. This is by no means a comprehensive blog, but only written to raise awareness of this issue. There are countless personal stories from over 600,000 migrant workers in Taiwan and statistics that should be shared. Unfortunately, many of these workers do not have a voice or even basic human rights in Taiwan. We want to give them a voice and hope these people are not forgotten. Read More…
