Population crisis alarms national security; new childcare strategy to fight low birthrate.

In response to Taiwan's long-standing and severe dual pressures of a declining birthrate and population aging, the National Development Council recently released its latest population projection report, warning that Taiwan's total population could face the crisis of being cut in half fifty years into the future. This alarm has once again sounded the warning bell for Taiwan's social sustainable development. Facing such a severe national security crisis, the Executive Yuan promptly made a strong response, emphasizing that the government has already launched a brand-new population strategy at the level of national development strategy. The first wave of this policy blueprint, named the New Strategy for Taiwan's Population Countermeasures, titled the Family Support Chapter, has already been fully implemented. Its core spirit lies in completely transforming the traditional single cash subsidy model of the past, transitioning into a more substantial "publicly supported child-rearing" policy, in an attempt to fundamentally alleviate the child-rearing pressure on the younger generation and create a social environment where people dare to have children and are willing to raise them.

Examining the policies implemented by all levels of government in Taiwan to address the declining birthrate in the past, most remained at the level of one-time or phased financial subsidies such as childbirth allowances and child-rearing allowances. However, many experts, scholars, and grassroots citizens have long pointed out that relying solely on subsidies cannot resolve structural dilemmas such as insufficient childcare resources, unfriendly workplace environments, and soaring housing prices. In view of this, the new strategy promoted by this Executive Yuan specifically emphasizes the concept of "public support." The government is actively expanding the coverage rate of public childcare, quasi-public childcare, and non-profit kindergartens, while promoting friendly workplace measures. By increasing public childcare institutions and extending childcare hours, it substantially shares the child-rearing burden of dual-income families. This shift in policy thinking from "giving money" to "giving resources and giving environments" is precisely the key strategy the government hopes will reverse the sluggish fertility rate.

However, the population crisis facing Taiwan is not simply a declining birthrate; it is accompanied by an astonishingly rapid wave of aging. The projection data from the National Development Council shows that not only is the number of newborns continuing to hit rock bottom, but the proportion and absolute number of the elderly population are also rising sharply. This means that Taiwan is about to enter a super-aged society, and the structure of the labor force will also undergo drastic changes. To comprehensively enhance the nation's overall resilience in responding to population changes, in addition to promoting the Family Support Chapter, the Executive Yuan has subsequently and intensively planned three core chapters, namely the Silver-Haired Generation Chapter, the All-Age Talent Cultivation Chapter, and the Global Talent Recruitment Chapter. These four chapters are closely intertwined, jointly forming a complete national policy puzzle for Taiwan to respond to demographic structural changes, aiming to lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of the nation.

Among the subsequent policies to be launched, the Silver-Haired Generation Chapter has received particular attention from all sectors. With the extension of average life expectancy, the definition and social roles of the silver-haired demographic are being reshaped. In the future, the government will plan how to revitalize elderly human resources and encourage older adults to continue participating in social and economic activities. This will not only alleviate gaps in the labor market but also improve the quality of life and social connections of the elderly. As for the All-Age Talent Cultivation Chapter and the Global Talent Recruitment Chapter, they directly correspond to the most urgent talent needs of Taiwan's industrial development. Faced with the declining domestic labor force caused by the declining birthrate, Taiwan must, on the one hand, deepen education and competency training for all age groups domestically to enhance the competitiveness of all citizens; on the other hand, it must use more active and attractive policies and regulatory environments to reach out to outstanding global talent, resolving the severe labor shortages faced by various industries.

This new population strategy led by the Executive Yuan and implemented through cross-ministerial collaboration is not only a social welfare policy, but is also regarded as a top-tier strategy concerning the survival and development of the nation. From the alleviation of child-rearing pressure in family support, to the recreation of expertise for the silver-haired generation, and to the layouts of all-age talent cultivation and global talent recruitment, the government attempts to use systematic policy tools to catch every generation and industry that may be affected by demographic changes. However, whether the policy can truly exert its effectiveness, subsequent funding investment, cross-ministerial execution efficiency, and actual feedback from all sectors of society will all be the keys to examining whether this macro blueprint can reverse the population crisis. Taiwan is at a crossroads of demographic structural transformation; only by continuously rolling reviews and firmly promoting public support can it usher in the dawn of sustainable development for the country. (Source of facts: Central News Agency)