SUBSIDIES, LEAVE: The government would increase childcare and education aid, while marriage leave would be extended to 14 days and to 12 weeks for pregnancyBy Chung Li-hua and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer請繼續往下閱讀...The Cabinet has launched a new national strategy to address Taiwan’s demographic challenges, with plans to implement measures covering family support, elderly people, talent development across all age groups and global talent recruitment to improve the country’s resilience in responding to demographic changes, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee （李慧芝） said on Friday.The National Development Council earlier in the day released its population projection that showed Taiwan’s population could nearly halve by 2075, while births are projected to drop below 100,000 this year.On May 27, President William Lai （賴清德） instructed the Executive Yuan to launch the family support chapter of the New Response Strategy for Taiwan’s Population Challenges, elevating population and family policies to the level of national strategy, Lee said.In the face of demographic shifts such as declining birthrates and an aging population, the government’s responsibility goes beyond increasing birth subsidies to reducing the costs and risks families face in raising children, including childcare, education, employment and housing, she said.The family support chapter focuses on increasing subsidies, reducing burdens, increasing flexibility and expanding public care, proposing 18 measures to establish a public childcare system under which costs would be shared by the government, families and society, she said.The proposed 0-to-18 Child Development Subsidy would provide financial support for children as they grow up, Lee said, adding that the NT$5,000 monthly subsidy has been included in the budget for fiscal 2027, she said.Eligible children and adolescents would begin receiving the subsidy next year, she added.The policy would allow children to accumulate at least NT$1.08 million （US$34,147） from birth until their 18th birthday, Lee said. In addition, there are development accounts for disadvantaged children and adolescents.The government is also working to balance work and family needs by amending laws to allow both parents to take an additional three months of subsidized parental leave on top of the six months already legislated, she said.The government also plans to extend marriage leave to 14 days, increase maternity leave to 12 weeks from eight weeks and double the leave for a husband to accompany his wife to prenatal examinations to 14 days, she said.Lee added that the Executive Yuan would introduce other policies in theme-based chapters, including an “elderly generation” chapter, an “all-age talent development” chapter and a “global talent attraction” chapter, to increase Taiwan’s resilience to demographic change.新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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