Employees in Taiwan work eight hours a day, 40 hours a week.

It is also mandatory in Taiwan to have two days off every seven days, one of which is a compulsory day off during which an employee cannot agree to work; the other day off is flexible and work on these days is negotiable.

In Taiwan, working hours cannot exceed 12 in one day, and maximum overtime is 46 hours per month.

Overtime work is paid at 134% for the eighth to 10th hours worked in a day, and 167% for the 10th to 12th hours worked in a day.

Overtime work on a “flexible day” off is paid at a higher rate of 134% for the first two hours, 167% for the second to eighth hours, and 267% for eighth to 12th hours.

Employees can choose to either be paid for their overtime work or be granted compensatory leave equal to the number of hours of overtime worked.

In Taiwan, three months is a customary probationary period. 

Non-compete agreements must be reasonable in scope and include compensation for the employee. Such compensation can be in the form of cash, securities, or any other valuable property or asset, and must not be less than 50% of the employee's average monthly wage at the time of termination.

The agreement cannot be for longer than two years.

In Taiwan, annual leave is dependent on the years an employee has worked for their employer. The breakdown is as follows:

• Over six months but less than one year: Three days
• More than one year but less than two years: Seven days
• More than two years but less than three years: 10 days
• More than three years but less than five years: 14 days
• More than five years but less than 10 years: 15 days
• Over 10 years: One additional day for each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days)

Unused vacation days can carry over to the following year. If these vacation days aren’t used within two years, they’re converted into salary and paid according to the employee’s first-year wage.

Employees in Taiwan can take:

• 30 days of ordinary sick leave a year, if they are not hospitalizsed or
• One year of sick leave within a two-year period if they are hospitalizsed.

The combined number of sick days taken cannot exceed one year within a two year period.

Employees in Taiwan get half-pay for up to 30 days of sick leave. When an employee’s illness is covered by labour insurance, but it's compensation is less than half of the employee’s salary, the employer pays the difference.

When employees use up all their sick days, they can ask for additional unpaid days off. The maximum of unpaid sick leave the employee can take is one year.

Employees who have worked for their employer at least six months are entitled to eight weeks fully paid maternity leave. If they have worked for less than six months, the rate is lowered to 50%.

Employees are also entitled to five days of fully paid paternity leave.

View a list of recognized public holidays in Taiwan here.

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