Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On October 22, Taipei City Government introduced the “Taipei Youth Career Stored-value Passport” (hereafter “Career Passport”) to help new graduates to jump-start their careers in the midst of the pandemic.
 
The Career Passport offers first-time job seekers between the age of 18 and 29 who have yet to land on a job after 4 months a “job-seeking stipend.” The stipend creates an incentive for them to utilize the resources and counseling services at the Taipei Youth Saloon (TYS), while the Career Passport guides the individual to make the necessary preparations to maximize the possibility of landing on their first job. Only young people who have established their residency in Taipei City for over 4 months are eligible for the program.
 
Labor Commissioner Chen Hsin-yu pointed out the program helps new graduates better understand the job market and go over their career plans. The first phase of the Career Passport invites the new graduate to attend a vocational aptitude test and counseling session at TYS. He or she will receive NT$5,000 stipend after completing the procedure and accept at least one employment referral. For stage 2 and 3, the individual need to visit any of the city’s employment service stations and take part in recommended course-of-action such as career counseling and employment seminars. Proactive job-seekers who adopt the recommended actions will receive a monthly stipend of NT$5,000, up to the maximum of NT$15,000.
 
Regarding the origins of the program, Chen remarked that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact upon the life of many young graduates, whether due to delays in attending universities abroad or diminishing job prospects in the face of a shrinking labor market. After studying the feedback from the Youth Career Intention Survey acquired in September, the city government decided to introduce the program to help first-time job seekers weather such troubled times.
 
Application for the Career Passport is accepted online starting today. For more information, please call the hotline of TYS (02-2395-8567) or visit the related website in Chinese．