Vietnamese are growing in numbers in Taiwan, and they are credited with accepting a wider range of jobs compared to other migrant groups, or even Taiwanese themselves.

“Taiwanese people don’t want to do this work,” said lawmaker and economist Chen I-hsin.

“Today’s kids, their mothers, fathers and grandparents all fawn over them, so how could you ask these kids even to wash dishes?”

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This week, a Ministry of Labour survey showed employers will need 52,000 more workers by October to sustain the post-pandemic recovery of the US$820 billion-plus economy.

Unlike migrants from other countries, Vietnamese women frequently marry local men. Marriage offers Taiwanese citizenship and access to various job opportunities, including the right to set up the numerous Vietnamese diners across Taiwan, as well as many of the island’s beauty salons.

Of the 240,000 Vietnamese migrants in Taiwan without citizenship, over 70 per cent work in manufacturing, National Immigration Agency statistics showed in June, followed by domestic help and construction.

Seven years ago, just 171,000 Vietnamese lived on the island and 133,000 worked in factory jobs.

“Vietnamese migrant workers account for the largest proportion of migrant workers in industrial labour,” said ruling party legislator Lo Mei-ling, herself an immigrant from Malaysia.

“Whether that’s manufacturing, fishing, or construction, Vietnamese make contributions to all.

“Especially with the boom in hi-tech manufacturing in recent years, the need for fundamental workers has risen sharply and we need migrants to come fill that gap.”

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And Taiwanese employers are leaning on the government to allow more migrant workers from overseas.

Some of the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry’s 3,000 members want more foreign workers at their factories, a spokeswoman for the trade group said, and they see Vietnam as a likely source.

Vietnamese from poorer parts of the Southeast Asian country, including the northern highlands or Mekong River delta, see Taiwan as a place to earn more money than they would get from comparable jobs at home.

“Sometimes we get ahead of ourselves and figure that Vietnam is another [Asian] tiger, but it’s really still moving from the farm to the factory,” said Adam McCarty, chief economist with Mekong Economics in Hanoi.

Taiwan has a reputation in Vietnam as an easy place to find service jobs or own small businesses, said Phuong Hong, a Ho Chi Minh City businesswoman who works in travel, although white-collar work remains a barrier.

“It’s quite challenging for us when we try to develop,” she said. “Small business is possible, but professional work isn’t possible.”

Vietnamese people who start restaurants usually “have a definite understanding of Taiwan”, Investment Commission spokesman Su Chi-Yun said.

There is, though, a perception that Vietnamese workers can often change jobs without notice if another employer offers more money, even if it violates their contract, added Taiwan lawmaker Chen I-hsin.

Statistics from the Investment Commission showed that Vietnamese nationals had invested a scant NT$366,000 (US$11,460) in 25 businesses in the first half of 2023, with NT$150,000 in the food and beverage sector and NT$121,000 in retail and wholesale.

But the figures do not cover the roughly 170,000 Vietnamese natives with Taiwan citizenship.

Vietnamese migrants who work overseas, including in Taiwan, have also become a “major economic contributor” to their homeland with US$19 billion in remittances sent last year, said Ralf Matthaes, founder of the Infocus Mekong Research consultancy in Ho Chi Minh City.