ABSTRACT
To thrive in an era of globalization, many countries are trying to attract a variety of talented individuals, investors, and skilled workers to contribute to their development. Over the last two decades, Taiwan has become a net receiver of migrants, but the influx has consisted largely of blue-collar guest workers, domestic helpers, and marriage migrants. In fact, 2009 official statistics show that guest workers in the fields of manufacturing and construction accounted for about 75.9% of the total foreign population in Taiwan. Due to the nuclearization of households and rapid aging of the population, policies have been loosened to allow in domestic workers to meet the growing demand for housekeeping and personal care services. Also, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of cross-border marriages since the late 1990s, with marriages between Taiwanese citizens and foreigners accounting for one in five marriages, with 60.7% of foreign spouses coming from Mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macau), 16.7% from Vietnam, 4.1% from Japan, and 3.7% from the United States (Government Information Office 2011).
