It is now more than two years since the new maternity benefit payment system came into effect on May 1, 2009. As of January 31, 2012, a total of just over 104,000 people had benefited from this new system; the total amount of benefit paid out amounted to slightly over NT$8,781,690,000, with an average payment per applicant of just over NT$16,000.
One point worth noting is the impact of the spike in the number of weddings and births in 2011 (the year which marked the 100th anniversary of the founding of the R.O.C.). According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of the Interior, a total of 165,327 couples got married in Taiwan in 2011, and 196,627 children were born; these figures represented an increase of 19.1% and 17.8% respectively compared to 2010. Bureau of Labor Insurance statistics indicate that the average number of maternity benefit payments made each month 2010 and 2011 was just over 8,000 and just over 10,000 respectively, indicating a gradual increase in the birth rate.
According to Bureau of Labor Insurance statistics, the number of approved first-time applicants for maternity benefit payment was just over 26,000 in 2009, just over 34,000 in 2010, and 40,000 in 2011. The total number of approved applicants over the period 2009 – 2011 was thus just over 101,000. It is noticeable that the number of applicants in 2011 was just over 6,200 higher than in 2010, representing a growth rate of nearly 20%.
In this era of smaller families, parents are starting to attach more and more importance to their children’s education. The increase in the number of applications for maternity benefit payment is closely linked to the changes in the birth rate in Taiwan. With 2012 being an auspicious “Year of the Dragon,” the Ministry of the Interior anticipates that the birth rate will continue to rise this year, growing by 7% compared to 2011, and that there will be a corresponding increase in the number of persons applying for maternity benefit payment.