Stalemate Over Population Strategy Legislation; Employment Insurance Age Cap Abolished in Preliminary Review

The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the Legislative Yuan reviewed proposed amendments to the "Act of Gender Equality in Employment" and the "Labor Insurance Act" today. Key proposals regarding the government's new population strategy—such as extending maternity leave and the age limit for parental leave—faced significant disagreement between political parties.

While the committee passed minor text revisions, such as changing "infant care" to "childcare," and abolished the age cap of 65 for labor insurance coverage, other controversial articles were postponed. Minister of Labor Hung Shen-han attended the sessions.

Regarding the Labor Insurance Act, the amendment to Article 5 removes the 65-year-old age limit for insured individuals. Additionally, Article 38-1 was added, requiring authorities to publish the names of violators and responsible persons if an employer is fined for illegal practices. Furthermore, to encourage workers to return to the job market, the allowance for early re-employment was increased from 50% to 60% of the remaining unemployment benefits.

However, debates remain deadlocked over the duration of prenatal check-up leave and maternity leave, as well as the age limit for parental leave. The Executive Yuan proposed extending maternity leave from 8 to 12 weeks, while opposition proposals sought to increase it to 10 or 14 weeks. Regarding parental leave, while the government proposed extending eligibility until a child reaches 7 years of age, several legislators argued it should cover children up to age 8 to accommodate the needs of lower-grade elementary school students.

Minister Hung Shen-han maintained that labor insurance is intended to provide income replacement during unemployment, whereas caregiver subsidies fall under the scope of social welfare and should not be funded by the employment insurance system. Committee Chair Lin Yueh-chin concluded the session by ordering that the contested articles be reserved for future review.