With the Chinese New Year approaching, some legislators have requested the authorities to repeat 2009's Year-end Temp Labor Program to take care of the underprivileged. However, the Council of Labor Affairs admitted it has no such plan this time, but will instead offer a relief loan scheme next month for needy workers.

In order to help the underprivileged laborers to have a happy Chinese New Year, the Council of Labor Affairs offered an End-of-the-year Temporary Laborer Program that lasted 10 days and paid NT$800 a day for 7000 middle-aged people who have been out of job long-term last year.

And even though the unemployment rate has decreased this year and the economy seems to be looking up, some legislators still suggested the council to continue this program.

However, even though the CLA has no budget for such a program this year, the minister Wang Ju-hsuan said that there will still be a relief loan of NT$20 billion to help these people.

Those who have been paying their labor insurance for more than 15 years will be allowed a loan up to NT$100,000.

This is estimated to help out more than 200,000 laborers.

But some legislators are worried of bad loan.

However, the CLA assures that for those who are unable or unwilling to pay, the money will be deducted from the old-age benefit from their labor insurance.

So when this program begins by next January, once the application has been accepted, the loan will be issued by Chinese New Year.

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