Since assuming office three years ago, the 13th-term Examination Yuan has actively reviewed and amended outdated laws and regulations and established more effective examination and personnel systems. To ensure smooth implementation of the individual pension account system for the retirement, severance, and survivor relief of new civil servants after July 1, 2023 (“2023 Individual Pension Account System”) and adapt to the employment needs of the digital information age, at the beginning of 2023 the Examination Yuan launched an organizational restructuring and realigned the relevant operations and functions.
To implement evidence-based research and decision-making the organization established the Examination Yuan Center for Civil Service Research, integrating the resources of the organization and its subordinate institutions and optimizing database utilization. As the COVID-19 pandemic waned, the Examination Yuan also actively organized discussion forums and exchanges with local governments and educational institutions to help them hire suitable talent. At the same time, overseas trips were reinstituted to learn more about civil service examination and personnel system design in other countries to facilitate discussions on ways to improve the nation’s civil service system.
Hereunder is a report on the Examination Yuan’s key policy promotion achievements over the past three years:
1.Improved the civil service system by promoting important new legislation and amending existing laws
Over the past year, 13 statutory bills have been passed to amend, enact, or repeal laws and regulations. Since the 13th-term Examination Yuan took office a total of 24 such bills have been passed, with 6 bills still awaiting deliberation or negotiation in the Legislative Yuan.
（1）Bills that have passed the third and final reading in the Legislative Yuan
（Listed by date of third reading in reverse chronological order）
| |
Name of Bill |
Summary |
Status |
| 1 |
Draft partial amendment of the Civil Service Promotion and Transfer Act |
Promotion and transfer process amended to implement a merit-based system so that when calculating promotion ratings, an agency may award bonus points to personnel that win major honors, have outstanding job performance, or are proficient in specified languages.
Added provisions bar from promotion any person with a record of one or more demerits in the past year for either driving while intoxicated or sexual harassment; relax restrictions to allow the promotion of personnel who have served in their current position for less than one year, or are currently on unpaid parental leave to raise children but will be on active duty on the designated promotion date. |
Third reading on May 2, 2023 |
| 2 |
Draft amendment of the Organic Act of the Ministry of Examination |
To adapt to the employment requirements of the digital information age and the challenges of competition for talent while accelerating the promotion of digital transformation and cybersecurity, amended the Ministry’s organizational structure, responsibilities, and staffing arrangements to strengthen talent recruitment, accelerate the digital transformation process for national examinations, and spur the development of test technology. |
Third reading on April 28, 2023 |
| 3 |
Draft partial amendment of the Public Service Pension Fund Management Act |
Amended provisions reorganize the Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board as a functional group under the Ministry of Civil Service and stipulate the Board’s representative composition.
In coordination with the provisions of the Statute of Privatization of Government-Owned Enterprises, added provisions stipulate that after settlement of income and expenditures pursuant to law or government approval, funds to be reimbursed to an enterprise shall be allocated for use by the Fund; expenditures required for the Fund’s investment utilization, audit, and performance management purposes are included as uses of the Fund. |
Third reading on April 21, 2023 |
| 4 |
Repeal of the Organic Act Governing Civil Service Personnel Offices |
Due to the repeal of Article 16 of the Organic Act of the Examination Yuan, there is no longer any legal basis for establishing local personnel offices and they have been abolished. |
Third reading on April 18, 2023 |
| 5 |
Draft amendment of the Organic Act of the Examination Yuan |
In response to the implementation of the 2023 Individual Pension Account System and to integrate the relevant duties and responsibilities, the amendments reorganized the previous “two ministries plus one commission and one supervisory board” structure into “two ministries and one commission,” with the functions of the former Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board incorporated into the Ministry of Civil Service's Department of Pension Supervision. |
Third reading on April 11, 2023 |
| 6 |
Draft amendment of the Organic Act of the Ministry of Civil Service |
To coordinate with adjustments to the Examination Yuan’s functions and organization, and the implementation of the 2023 Individual Pension Account System, established the Department of Pension Supervision, which consolidates the functions of the Public Servant and Teacher Insurance Supervisory Committee and the Examination Yuan’s Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board. |
| 7 |
Draft Organic Act of the Bureau of the Public Service Pension Fund |
Based on senior officials’ commitment to enhance professionalization, the Public Service Pension Fund Management Board originally under the Ministry of Civil Service, with the minister concurrently serving as chairperson, was reorganized as the Bureau of Public Service Pension Fund with a single-head system to pursue long-term, stable investment performance for the Fund. |
| 8 |
Repeal of the Organic Act of the Public Service Pension Fund Management Board |
Repealed in coordination with organizational adjustments. |
| 9 |
Draft amendment of Article 22 of the Civil Servant Employment Act |
Relaxed transfer restrictions on civil service personnel who are raising children age three or younger. |
Third reading on January 19, 2023 |
| 10 |
Draft Civil Servants’ Individual Pension Account of Retirement, Severance and Survivor Relief Act |
Pursuant to the provisions of Article 93 of the Civil Service Retirement, Severance and Survivor Relief Act, established the 2023 Individual Pension Account System. That system includes a Level II Workplace Pension with a defined-contribution plan, and establishes individual pension accounts. |
Third reading on December 16, 2022 |
| 11 |
Draft amendment of Article 93 and Article 95 of the Civil Service Retirement, Severance and Survivor Relief Act |
Added provisions stipulate that the government is responsible for allocating funds to subsidize the Public Service Pension Fund; shall allocate subsidy funds in phases, with the initial subsidy used to cover the financial shortfall resulting from the early depletion of the existing Public Service Pension Fund by the implementation of the 2023 Individual Pension Account System; shall continue to allocate funds to subsidize any long-term cumulative Public Service Pension Fund financial shortfall. |
| 12 |
Draft partial amendment of the Civil Servant and Teacher Insurance Act |
Provides for retroactive participation in the insurance system when an insured’s dismissal or other disciplinary action is voided. In response to implementation of the 2023 Individual Pension Account System, amendments to associated provisions raise the ceilings for insurance premium rates, old age benefits, and death benefits. |
| 13 |
Draft amendment of the Civil Service Transfer Regulations for Professional and Technical Personnel |
To resolve the long-term recruitment shortfall in categories requiring professional and technical talent, amended the hiring method for such personnel, and added a provision to provide a legal basis for hiring government lawyers, architects, and other professional and technical personnel. |
Third reading on December 9, 2022 |
| 14 |
Draft amendment of the Civil Service Act |
The first full review and amendment of the Civil Service Act since it was enacted and promulgated in 1939. Includes amendment of the Act’s applicable parties; deletion of a provision requiring that a public functionary speaking in a private capacity must obtain permission in advance before making remarks related to their duties; amendment of provisions governing the types of businesses that public functionaries may operate and the relevant investments; adjustment of the density of provisions regarding the procedures and rules for holding concurrent positions; and amended the framework regulations governing work schedule matters in response to J. Y. Interpretation No. 785. |
Third reading on May 30, 2022 |
| 15 |
Draft amendment of Article 23 and Article 104 of the Civil Service Protection Act |
In response to J. Y. Interpretation No. 785, amended provisions regarding the definition of overtime and the overtime compensation method; added provisions regarding principles for assessing overtime compensation, as well as the time limits on, and settlement mechanism for, compensatory leave. |
| 16 |
Draft partial amendment of the Civil Service Retirement, Severance and Survivor Relief Act |
In coordination with J. Y. Interpretation No. 782, deleted the provision suspending a beneficiary’s monthly retirement pension payments due to their reappointment at a private school after separation; added provisions that exclude contributions to the Public Service Pension Fund pursuant to the Act from the calculation of annual salary and wages for income tax purposes; require a mechanism to adjust monthly retirement, monthly compensation benefit, and survivor pension payments based on the cumulative growth rate of the consumer price index, with the adjustment ratio to be prescribed separately, and require that such payments be reviewed at least every four years. |
Third reading on December 28, 2021 |
| 17 |
Draft partial amendment of Article 5, Article 15, and Article 40 of the Political Appointee Retirement and Survivor Relief Act |
In coordination with J. Y. Interpretation No. 782, deleted the provision suspending a beneficiary’s monthly retirement pension payments due to their reappointment at a private school after separation; added a provision excluding voluntary pension contributions from the calculation of annual salary and wages for income tax purposes. |
| 18 |
Draft partial amendment of the Public Service Pension Fund Management Act |
Amended provisions regarding the legal basis of the Act, pension fund payment items, and the taxation of pension benefits received. Added a provision stipulating that all pension fund account books, transaction records, and operational revenue and expenditures are exempt from taxation. |
| 19 |
Draft amendment of Article 35 and Article 51 of the Civil Servant and Teacher Insurance Act |
Deleted the provision requiring a husband and wife who are both insureds and caring for the same child to apply for parental leave allowance for different time periods. |
Third reading on December 24, 2021 |
| 20 |
Draft partial amendment of the Civil Servant Employment Act |
Added provisions that allow organizations at the same level and of the same type to adopt joint staffing charts; allow organizations to eliminate employees on probation who, based on concrete facts, are unsuitable for appointment; prohibit employees on probation from transferring to a different occupational series during their probation period; allow persons who are unable to renounce their nationality due to the laws of a foreign country to be appointed to certain organizations to perform a limited scope of duties. |
Third reading on May 10, 2022 |
| 21 |
Repeal of the Examination Invigilation Act |
As national examinations are conducted pursuant to the relevant laws including the Examination Affairs Act and the Civil Service Examinations Act, the examination administration system and relevant examination affairs operations are already sound, and processes are both rigorous and thorough.
After incorporating information technology into examination affairs, human supervision can be replaced by information security management mechanisms to achieve the goal of fair and impartial examinations, and the examination invigilation system was therefore abolished. |
Third reading on April 13, 2021 |
| 22 |
Draft amendment of Article 10 of the Examination Affairs Act |
In coordination with the repeal of the Examination Invigilation Act, the ombudsman invigilator position no longer exists. When the Board of Examiners meets no such persons need to attend, and the relevant provision was therefore deleted. |
| 23 |
Draft amendment to delete Article 26 of the Civil Service Examinations Act |
In coordination with the repeal of the Examination Invigilation Act, the relevant invigilation procedures no longer exist, and the relevant Article was therefore deleted. |
| 24 |
Draft amendment of Article 21 of the Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations Act |
In coordination with the repeal of the Examination Invigilation Act, the words “Examination Invigilation Act” were deleted. |
(2) Legislative bills awaiting consultation and review, or submission to the relevant committee
（Listed by date of proposal in reverse chronological order）
| |
Name of Bill |
Summary |
Status |
| 1 |
Repeal of the Organic Act of the Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board |
In coordination with organizational adjustments, the Act was repealed. |
Forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation on June 5, 2023; not yet delivered to the relevant committee |
| 2 |
Draft Act Governing the Qualifications and Appointment of Legal Professionals |
To implement key resolutions from the 2017 National Conference on Judicial Reform, upgrade the legal quality of judicial, investigative, defense, and public service entities, and provide employing institutions with more room to participate in selecting personnel, this draft legislation establishes a special law with a selection process that integrates personnel from four occupational categories: judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and civil servants into the legal service occupational series. |
Referred to the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee on March 1, 2022; now pending deliberation. |
| 3 |
Draft amendment of Article 20 of the Civil Service Examinations Act |
Added provisions that provide a legal basis for revoking the status of a candidate that, due to an error in examination administration or other examination affairs, passed an examination they should not have passed. When a leak of test questions or other form of fraud is not discovered until after examination results have been published, the Ministry of Examination may report to the Examination Yuan and revoke dispositions conferring qualification and non-qualification status or certification by examination, and when necessary may restart the examination procedure in whole or in part. |
Forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation on March 26, 2021
Committee deliberations completed on May 3, 2023; party caucus negotiations pending |
| 4 |
Draft amendment of Article 17 of the Professional and Technical Personnel Examinations Act |
Added provisions provide a legal basis for revoking the successful qualification status of a candidate that obtained such status due to an error in examination administration or other examination affairs; stipulate that when a leak of test questions or other form of fraud is not discovered until after examination results have been posted, the Ministry of Examination may report to the Examination Yuan and revoke dispositions conferring qualification and non-qualification status as well as certification by examination, and when necessary may restart the examination procedure in whole or in part. |
Forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation on March 26, 2021
Committee deliberations completed on May 3, 2023; party caucus negotiations pending |
| 5 |
Draft amendment of Article 31 of the Examination Affairs Act |
Added a mechanism to hold accountable personnel who violate the law by leaking test questions or committing fraud. |
Forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation on December 18, 2020
Committee deliberations completed on May 3, 2023; party caucus negotiations pending |
| 6 |
Draft partial amendment of the Civil Service Training and Continuing Education Act |
Amendments provide the appropriate easing of restrictions regarding the duration of participation in overseas continuing education programs; appropriate easing of restrictions regarding the duration of full-time continuing education programs that a civil servant applies to themselves, with any extension requiring application to the competent authority on a yearly basis. Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules of the Act stipulate that if a participant completes a full-time domestic or foreign continuing education program and the respective competent authority approves an extension, the participant shall be permitted to retain their position without pay for the duration of the extension. These are significant rights and interests associated with continuing education for civil servants, and were therefore upgraded and incorporated into the Act. |
Forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation on September 18, 2020
Committee deliberations completed on April 29, 2021
Party caucus negotiations held on May 13, 2021, and the results forwarded to the Legislative Yuan president to convene party caucus negotiations |
2. Completed phased organizational adjustments to adapt to the 2023 Individual Pension Account System and meet contemporary needs
In coordination with the implementation of the 2023 Individual Pension Account System, the Examination Yuan launched an organizational restructuring initiative. That initiative consolidated the existing configuration (Ministry of Examination, Ministry of Civil Service, Civil Service Protection and Training Commission, and Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board) into a “two ministries and one commission” structure, with the Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board’s functions incorporated into the Ministry of Civil Service’s Department of Pension Supervision. Relevant complementary bills to be implemented in two phases include: amendments to the Organic Act of the Examination Yuan, Organic Act of the Ministry of Civil Service, and the Public Service Pension Fund Management Act; enactment of an Organic Act of the Bureau of Public Service Pension Fund; and the repeal of the Organic Act of the Public Service Pension Fund Management Board.
The amendments to the Organic Act of the Examination Yuan respond to the individual pension account system by integrating the relevant responsibilities in a timely manner and adjusting the organizational structure of the subordinate ministries and commissions. Using the provisions of the Basic Code Governing Central Administrative Agencies and Organizations as a reference, the amended Act also prescribes the official rank, grade, and personnel quotas for various job titles through a staffing chart, thus providing greater flexibility in adjusting organizational functions and personnel.
To accelerate preparations for the new organizational structure required by the July 1 implementation of the 2023 Individual Pension Account System, the amended Organic Act of the Ministry of Civil Service (except for public service pension fund supervisory functions) and newly enacted Organic Act of the Bureau of Public Service Pension Fund were implemented on April 30, 2023; the Public Service Pension Fund Management Board was reorganized as the Bureau of Public Service Pension Fund that same day. Considering the time required to transfer the Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board’s functions and personnel, provisions of the Organic Act of the Examination Yuan and Organic Act of the Ministry of Civil Service regarding public service pension fund supervisory functions were implemented on June 1, 2023.
Under those provisions, the Ministry of Civil Service established the Department of Pension Supervision, consolidating the supervisory functions of the Public Service Pension Fund and Public Servant and Teacher Insurance Program to unify duties and responsibilities. In coordination with the transfer of the public service pension fund organization and functions, a bill to repeal the Organic Act of the Public Service Pension Fund Supervisory Board was forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation on June 5, 2023.
To meet the challenges of the artificial intelligence (AI) era, low birth rates, and competition with the private sector for talent, national examinations must expand the application of digital personnel selection technologies and international exchanges. To select outstanding talent to serve the nation, the Ministry of Examination’s organizational structure was also adjusted to respond to emerging trends. The Organic Act of the Ministry of Examination was therefore amended to add responsibility for the planning and management of digital development, as well as the security and protection of information and communications regarding national examinations. The amended Act, implemented on September 1, 2023, emphasizes strengthening personnel recruitment, accelerating the digital transformation of national examinations, and developing advanced testing technologies to increase the reliability and validity of those examinations.
3.Enhanced added-value utilization of the personnel management database and implemented evidence-based research and decision-making
To address the rising tide of digital transformation, all government agencies are actively promoting evidence-based decision-making and attempting to apply big data analytics to policy-making. To promote the use of practical research and database analysis for examination and civil service administration policies as well as institutional planning and design, the Examination Yuan established its Center for Civil Service Research at the end of November 2022, integrating the research resources of the organization and its subordinate entities to strengthen the added-value utilization of the personnel management database.
Five research topics were selected for 2023:
- An analysis of civil servant job mobility across occupational series before and after the list of name designations for occupational groups and series was amended
- A study of the career performance and job changes of police personnel who were initially qualified and appointed under the two-track police examination system
- A study of changing trends in the civil service personnel retirement structure at all levels of government
- An analysis of duplicate test and acceptance scenarios for civil service examinees
- A spatial analysis of civil servant job mobility
All of the above research projects were conducted on issues related to current functions, utilizing the personnel management database as a core resource to provide anonymized original source data.
To conduct effective evidence-based decision-making, in addition to utilizing the existing objective data in the personnel management database, questionnaires were used to survey successful civil service examination candidates to gather and analyze subjective information about their abilities, skills, and family backgrounds, as well as their purpose and attitudes (e.g. motivation for taking the examination, employment expectations, and personality traits). This integration of objective and subjective information from different sources will facilitate more comprehensive reviews, and improvements regarding examination and civil service administration policies as well as institutional planning and design.
4. Refined examination, qualification screening, protection, and training policies; strengthened exchanges with hiring institutions, schools, and grassroots civil servants
To respond to and improve talent recruitment and retention for offshore county governments in Penghu, Kinmen, and Lienchiang, the Ministry of Examination actively plans offshore special examinations and incorporates oral exams into the personnel selection mechanism to hire candidates who are committed to the offshore islands, and resolve the longstanding dilemma resulting from recruitment challenges and high turnover.
Commissioner Wu Hsin-hsing visited Penghu County to attend the Three Outlying Island Counties Forum and exchange views regarding offshore island special examination issues. Examination Yuan President Huang Jong-tsun also led a team to participate in panel discussions on national examinations organized by the Ministry of Examination in Kinmen and Lienchiang, holding in-depth discussions with the three offshore county governments, and numerous local schools and groups regarding the employment and recruitment of offshore talent.
To strengthen the connections between educational efforts, examinations, and hiring while enhancing cooperation with junior colleges, colleges, and universities, Examination Yuan President Huang Jong-tsun, accompanied by the commissioners and heads of subordinate agencies, visited numerous universities including Asia University, Chang Gung University, National Chengchi University, Shih Hsin University, Chung Shan Medical University, Providence University, Fu Jen Catholic University, Fooyin University, National Taiwan University, National Taipei University, and National Cheng Kung University to exchange views regarding the cultivation and recruitment of cross-disciplinary talent, hoping to cooperate in promoting the comprehensive digitalization of national examinations. The Ministry of Examination also organized a series of inter-school discussion forums attended by numerous commissioners at institutions including I-Shou University, Shin Min High School, and Cheng Shiu University, striving to expand the use of computerized exam halls to make national examinations more effective.
To promote civil service system reform and strengthen communication with employing institutions and local governments, the Examination Yuan has also conducted numerous on-site discussion forums. Forum locations have included the Yangmingshan National Park Headquarters, seeking to learn more about the organizational plans and personnel needs of the new National Park Service following the reorganization of the Construction and Planning Agency under the Ministry of the Interior. The Examination Yuan also visited the Chiayi County government and Alishan National Scenic Area Headquarters to gather suggestions about issues including occupational grades, the transfer system for professional and technical personnel, and the headcount allocation ratio.
The Civil Service Protection and Training Commission and National Academy of Civil Service also continue to hold panel discussions involving commissioners and participants from all types of civil service study and training courses to gather more input and suggestions from civil servants. Discussion topics range from examinations, appointments, performance ratings, and transfers to personnel quotas, occupational grades, and training and development. Specific issues include suggestions regarding appropriate increases in function-related technical subjects and interview thresholds, strengthening methods to enhance workplace morale, and adding guidelines and specifications for performance ratings to help introduce sound personnel policies that have a positive impact on people’s daily lives.
5. Conducted an on-site investigative study of Japan’s civil service examination and personnel systems as a reference to make innovative examination, qualification screening, and personnel administration decisions
In November of 2022 the Examination Yuan visited counties and cities in the Kyushu area and Osaka Prefecture of Japan to study and learn from central and local government examination and personnel selection systems. The trip focused on the major differences between the Taiwan and Japanese systems while gathering further information regarding system details and execution difficulties, as well as how Japanese society generally views the public service system.
Topics included participation by employing institutions in personnel selection; examination subjects and actual examination content; interviews and psychological testing; examinee qualifications and rights; the relationship between the central and local governments; and personnel performance evaluations and dismissals. Institutions visited included the regional bureau of the National Personnel Authority (NPA) (Kyushu Regional Bureau); second-level governments in areas with varying population sizes (Osaka Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Saga Prefecture); third-level governments with widely divergent levels of development (Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture and Takeda City, Oita Prefecture); and an academic institution, Kyushu University.
In December of 2022 the Ministry of Civil Service visited Tokyo to observe and learn more about the Japanese Civil Service Personnel System through an in-depth investigation of the personnel system design; implementation of the new performance management rating system for personnel; the employment system for temporary and other non-regular staff; civil service public pensions; public-private sector personnel exchanges; the civil servant reappointment system (including special regulations for different types of occupational duties, job redesign for older employees, age of eligibility for a public pension, and a benefit reduction program). Institutions visited included central government agencies (National Personnel Authority, Cabinet Bureau of Personnel Affairs, Ministry of Finance); academic institutions (Keio University Faculty of Law); and Diet members who have long been concerned about civil service working conditions and wellbeing (House of Representatives Members Azemoto Shogo and Inoue Takahiro).
In February of 2023 the Ministry of Examination visited Tokyo and prefectures and cities throughout the Kanto region of Japan to observe and learn more about the civil service examination system for compiling basic proficiency tests and new scholastic aptitude tests, as well as interview implementation; gain a greater understanding of issues including how to compile basic proficiency test questions that can identify modern civil servants with learning potential and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and the conceptual background that has made interviews a key hiring factor for Japan’s central and local governments; how interviewers are appointed, trained, and graded; and the administrative feasibility of these systems. Institutions visited included central government agencies (National Personnel Authority, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications); local governments (Kanagawa Prefecture, City of Yokohama); a foundation (Japan Center for Examination Research) and a private sector firm (Recruit Management Solutions).