# Ministry of Labor (Taiwan)

The Ministry of Labor (MOL; Chinese: 勞動部; pinyin: Láodòng Bù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lô-tōng-pō͘) is a ministry of the Taiwanese Executive Yuan administering policies relating to employees and labor. The MOL works with various international organizations and engages in bilateral exchanges to elevate the welfare of laborers in Taiwan, administering programs such as Labor Insurance.

## History

In 1947, before the implementation of Constitution of the Republic of China, the Nationalist government planned to establish the Ministry of Labor under the Executive Yuan. On 18 May 1948, the Ministry of Society (Chinese: 社會部) was founded by the Executive Yuan, and labor affairs were downgraded to an agency under the Ministry of Society. On 21 March 1949, the Ministry of Society was abolished, and labor affairs were then administered by the a newly founded Division of Labor under the Ministry of the Interior.
On 1 August 1987, the Council of Labor Affairs (Chinese: 勞工委員會; pinyin: Láogōng Wěiyuánhuì; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lô-kang Úi-ôan-hōe) was established as an independent agency under the Executive Yuan. The council was upgraded to Ministry of Labor Affairs on 17 February 2014.
In July 1999, the Taiwan Province government was downsized, the Council of Labor Affairs labor take over the original duties from Department of Labor Affairs, Taiwan Provincial Government, and established the Central Office, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan. January 1, 2013, Council of Labor take over youngsters employment duties from National Youth Commission (Youth Employment Training Center). 2014, Central Office, Council of Labor Affairs reorganized into Skill Evaluation Center of Work Force Agency, Ministry of Labor.
The Taiwanese government had planned to upgrade labor affairs to ministry level. In 1990, the government of Lee Teng-hui amended the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan. February 2009, government of Ma Ying-jeou amended the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan, and make sure the Council of Labor will be upgraded to Ministry of Labor Affairs, sending the amended act to the Legislative Yuan.
January 29, 2014, Legislative Yuan pass the third reading of Organization Act of the Ministry of Labor, The Bureau of Labor Insurance, Ministry of Labor Organization Act, Organic Act of Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor, Organization Act for the Bureau of Labor Funds of the Ministry of Labor, Organization Law of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Labor, Organic Act of Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health, Ministry of Labor. February 17, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan is upgrade to "Ministry of Labor", still rent the part of the office spaces in Empire Garden Plaza for the ministry's administrative units. The other agencies like Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Workforce Development Agency are located in the Xinzhuang Joint Office Tower.

### Lease space to own office space

From the start of the Ministry of Labor it was an independent government agency. It doesn't have its own office space, and needs to rent space from a third party. From 2001 to March 2018, the Council of Labor Affairs rented the office space in Empire Garden Plaza on No. 83, Section 2, Yanping North Road, Datong District, Taipei City.
In June 2017, Ministry of Labor decided they will move to the "Building of Taiwan Cooperative Bank, Taiwan Province" (the old headquarter of Taiwan Cooperative Bank, No. 77, Guanqian Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City.). In May 14, 2018, the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor officially moved into levels 4 to 14 of the Building of Taiwan Cooperative Bank, Taiwan Province, and started office hours. However, the Ministry of Labor still wanted to seek its own office spaces.
June 1, 2020, the Ministry of Labor confirmed they got their own office space. The Veterans Affairs Commission published a press release, which said that after the dismissal of their own company, the RSEA Engineering Corporation, the company's office space in the 9 to 13 floor of Chi Ching Building, Songjian Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, will be sold to the Ministry of Labor in 2021. The Ministry of Labor plans to move into Chi Ching Building 2023, and will no longer prepare budget for rent lease.

## Visions

* Autonomy
* Equality
* Development

## Organization structures
### Administrative Units

* Department of General Planning
* Department of Employment Relations
* Department of Labor Insurance
* Department of Employment Welfare and Retirement
* Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment
* Department of Legal Services

### Staff Units

* Department of General Affairs
* Department of Human Resources
* Department of Civil Service Ethics
* Department of Accounting
* Department of Statistics
* Department of Information Management

### Agencies

* Bureau of Labor Insurance [zh]
* Bureau of Labor Funds [zh]
* Workforce Development Agency [zh]
** Taipei-Keelung-Hualien-Kinmen-Matsu Regional Office
** Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Regional Office [zh]
** Taichung-Changhua-Nantou Regional Office [zh]
** Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan Regional Office [zh]
** Kaohsiung-Pingtung-Penghu-Taitung Regional Office
** Skill Evaluation Center [zh]
* Occupational Safety and Health Administration [zh]
* Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health [zh]

## List of ministers

Political Party:  Kuomintang  Democratic Progressive Party  Non-partisan/ unknown
| No. | Name | Term of Office | Term of Office | Days | Party | Premier |
| Minister of the Council of Labor Affairs |||||||
| 1 | Cheng Shuei-chih [zh] (鄭水枝) | 1 August 1987 | February 1989 | | Kuomintang | Yu Kuo-hua |
| 2 | Chao Shou-po (趙守博) | February 1989 | 1994 | | Kuomintang | Yu Kuo-hua Lee Huan Hau Pei-tsun Lien Chan |
| 3 | Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山) | 1994 | May 1997 | | Kuomintang | Lien Chan |
| 4 | Hsu Chieh-kuei (許介圭) | May 1997 | February 1998 | | | Lien Chan Vincent Siew |
| 5 | Chan Huo-shen (詹火生) | February 1998 | 19 May 2000 | | | Vincent Siew |
| 6 | Chen Chu (陳菊) | 20 May 2000 | 19 September 2005 | 1948 | Democratic Progressive Party | Tang Fei Chang Chun-hsiung I Yu Shyi-kun Frank Hsieh |
| 7 | Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) | 19 September 2005 | 20 May 2007 | 608 | Democratic Progressive Party | Frank Hsieh Su Tseng-chang I |
| 8 | Lu Tien-ling (盧天麟) | 20 May 2007 | 19 May 2008 | 365 | Democratic Progressive Party | Chang Chun-hsiung II |
| 9 | Wang Ju-hsuan (王如玄) | 20 May 2008 | 2 October 2012 | 1596 | Independent | Liu Chao-shiuan Wu Den-yih Sean Chen |
| 10 | Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) | 2 October 2012 | 16 February 2014 | 502 | Kuomintang | Sean Chen Jiang Yi-huah |
| Minister of Labor (since 17 February 2014) |||||||
| 1 | Pan Shih-wei (潘世偉) | 17 February 2014 | 24 July 2014 | 157 | Kuomintang | Jiang Yi-huah |
| — | Hao Feng-ming (郝鳳鳴) | 24 July 2014 | 20 August 2014 | 27 | | Jiang Yi-huah |
| 2 | Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文) | 20 August 2014 | 19 May 2016 | 638 | | Jiang Yi-huah Mao Chi-kuo Chang San-cheng |
| 3 | Kuo Fang-yu (郭芳煜) | 20 May 2016 | 7 February 2017 | 263 | | Lin Chuan |
| 4 | Lin Mei-chu (林美珠) | 8 February 2017 | 26 February 2018 | 383 | | Lin Chuan William Lai |
| 5 | Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) | 26 February 2018 | 20 May 2024 | 2275 | Democratic Progressive Party | William Lai Su Tseng-chang II Chen Chien-jen |
| 6 | Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) | 20 May 2024 | 21 November 2024 | 185 | Democratic Progressive Party | Cho Jung-tai |
| - | Chen Ming-jen (陳明仁) | 22 November 2024 | 24 November 2024 | 2 | | Cho Jung-tai |
| 7 | Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) | 25 November 2024 | Incumbent | 38 | Democratic Progressive Party | Cho Jung-tai |

## Access

The MOL headquarters is accessible within walking distance from NTU Hospital metro station or Taipei Main Station of the Taipei Metro.