Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) The Taipei-based Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) on Tuesday called on the government to bolster Taiwan's global competitiveness by formulating long-term economic and education strategies and loosening restrictions on overseas hiring.
In an annual white paper, the CNFI highlighted a gap between graduate skills and the needs of employers, labor shortages, an aging population and geopolitical turbulence as some of the critical issues that Taiwan must address to ensure economic resiliency.
According to the CNFI, areas covered by the white paper's 164 proposals include industrial development, energy and environment policy, taxation and financial policy, labor-capital relationship and human resources, international trade, cross-strait policy and intellectual property rights.
Calling on the government to formulate a "visionary and pragmatic economic strategy," CNFI Chairman Matthew Miau (苗豐強) said the federation proposed devising a long-term education policy to boost talent cultivation and enacting business-friendly laws to encourage entrepreneurial innovation.
Miao added that a comprehensive blueprint for Taiwan's sustainable development would also help address growing geopolitical uncertainties, a retreat from globalization, and the emergence of countries in the Asia-Pacific region as key international markets.
Other measures forwarded by the white paper include relaxing restrictions on the hiring of migrant workers as well as reviewing labor regulations and laws governing industrial relations and strike actions.
Miao noted that although the government had made it easier for the construction industry to hire migrant workers, this was a "drop in the bucket" with regard to the labor and talent shortages faced by Taiwanese businesses.
Miao also recommended that the government include nuclear power as an option to secure long-term energy security, given Taiwan's sluggish progress in expanding renewable electricity.
In response, the National Development Council said in a statement later Tuesday that the suggestions in the CNFI white paper are in line with government policy directions and promised concerted efforts with the private sector to build a resilient Taiwan.
Established in 1942, the CNFI is a nonprofit federation of employers comprising 157 member associations representing 100,000 businesses.
