One-Forty

Funding Program

Southeast Asian Migrant Workers in Taiwan

• • As of March 2025, Taiwan’s migrant worker population exceeds 829,772. This means one in every 30 people is a migrant worker. The majority of these migrants are from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand, with Indonesians being the most populous.
  • According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), labor migration is driven by a combination of economic, social, demographic, and political factors. Unemployment and lack of job opportunities in home countries push workers to seek better-paying jobs abroad.
  • In Taiwan, Southeast Asian migrant workers fill essential yet low-paid roles in caregiving, manufacturing, construction, and fishing. Many arrive already burdened by agency fees equal to nearly a year’s salary, putting them in financial distress from the start. Around 33% work as in-home or institutional caregivers, helping address Taiwan’s long-term care shortage, while the remaining 67% are employed in industrial sectors. Despite their critical contributions, they face limited rights, little access to education, and uncertain futures after returning home. Most are allowed to work in Taiwan for up to 12 years under current labor policies.

Challenges During Their Time in Taiwan

• • Language and Cultural Barriers: Communication challenges prevent effective interaction with employers, leading to misunderstandings, discrimination, and social isolation.
  • Financial Literacy Gaps: Lack of financial education prevents them from budgeting effectively, saving, or investing in their future.
  • Limited Skills and Career Development: Confined to low-wage, labor-intensive industries, limiting their ability to advance their careers.
  • Unstable Career Pathways Post-Migration: After 10 to 12 years in Taiwan, many migrants return home without transferable skills, job connections, or financial security, leaving them vulnerable to unemployment or forced migration again.

One-Forty’s Education and Support System

• • Taiwan’s First and Largest Learning Platform for Migrant Workers: To address the educational gap among migrant workers, One-Forty created Taiwan’s first and largest culturally responsive learning system. Our Migrant School offers in-person classes in Mandarin, financial literacy, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship—all taught in native languages for maximum accessibility. Recognizing migrants’ limited free time, we launched an online learning platform with hundreds of mother-tongue video lessons—used by over 100,000 learners to study anytime, anywhere. In 2025, we expanded our reach with Taiwan’s first mobile learning app for migrant workers, ensuring self-paced, barrier-free access to education from day one in Taiwan.

• • Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment: We believe education must translate into financial security. In addition to foundational courses, we offer workshops in financial literacy and personal economic planning, helping migrants build savings, manage budgets, and prepare for long-term goals. Many apply these skills to support their families or start businesses post-migration.

• • Career Development and Employability: To help migrants move beyond low-wage work, One-Forty offers career coaching, skills training, and Taiwan’s first Career Center for Migrant Workers. Our services build transferable skills for employment both in Taiwan and back home. Through partnerships across global supply chains, we position migrant workers not as laborers, but as talents. Our peer mentorship model (“Migrant for Migrant”) reinforces learning through shared experience and community leadership.

• • Alumni Network and Post-Migration Support: Our work doesn’t end when migrants leave Taiwan. One-Forty’s alumni network—especially strong in Indonesia—provides ongoing peer support, job connections, and resource sharing. We also conduct annual field visits to assess long-term impact and co-create solutions for reintegration, ensuring migrants don’t face post-migration life alone.

Success Stories

• • Warti returned to Indonesia and opened a clothing store employing 18 women. With skills gained from One-Forty, she’s building a better future for her family and her community.
  • Yusni used Mandarin and digital skills to become a translator for a Taiwanese company. She was later promoted to manager and now earns over 3x her country’s average income.
  • Mandala, a former worker turned community leader, now runs a civil society organization that modernizes rural villages and reduces migration by creating local opportunity.
  • Maizidah Salas founded The Village of Migrant Workers, supporting returnees and children left behind. She was honored with the U.S. State Department’s “TIP Hero Award” for her work in human rights.

Your gift empowers a future beyond migration: Donate 150 USD to Support One Migrant Worker’s Online Learning Journey for A Year.