RP, Taiwan extend special hiring deal

PHILIPPINE AND TAIWAN labor authorities have agreed to extend their memorandum of understanding on the Special Hiring Program for Taiwan (SHPT) beyond March 30 next year, if no new agreement is approved and signed by Taipei and Manila before this date.

Antonio I. Basilio, Manila Economic and Cultural Office managing director and resident representative, said this adding that the SHPT extension was among the highlights of the fourth Joint Labor Council conference between Taiwan and the Philippines held recently in Peitou, Taipei.

“Taiwan and Philippine labor authorities remain committed to a special hiring program that substantially reduces the financial burden of Filipinos eyeing job placements in Taiwan,” said Basilio.

Both sides also vowed to promote SHPT as a less costly mode of deploying Filipino workers to Taiwan by expanding the agreement’s coverage to include first-time hires.

Basilio said the SHPT applies to all occupational groups covered by the MOU.

Also referred to as “direct hiring,” SHPT allows Taiwanese employers to directly hire Filipinos without brokers and recruiters in either country.

The first MOU on the SHPT was signed on March 20, 2003 and valid for two years, while the second was forged on March 30, 2006 and was valid for four years. –Philippine Daily Inquirer