Every Ministry Must Promote Full Employment

Every Ministry Must Promote Full Employment
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
September 27, 2012

Summary: The attempt to dissolve the cabinet failed. President Ma and the ruling party he heads face even more rigorous challenges. The political picture and social climate are quite clear. The cabinet's response to a string of issues such as gasoline prices and electricity rates over the past six months has left the public disgusted. The public faces a grim situation, including a weak economy and a lack of employment opportunities. The public is impatient with the cabinet's tardy and uninspiring countermeasures. The cabinet cannot afford to continue on its merry way, offering no change, and offering no sound policies. It must rescue the economy, which has hit rock bottom. Otherwise it will have to be changed.

Full Text below:

The attempt to dissolve the cabinet failed. President Ma and the ruling party he heads face even more rigorous challenges. The political picture and social climate are quite clear. The cabinet's response to a string of issues such as gasoline prices and electricity rates over the past six months has left the public disgusted. The public faces a grim situation, including a weak economy and a lack of employment opportunities. The public is impatient with the cabinet's tardy and uninspiring countermeasures. The cabinet cannot afford to continue on its merry way, offering no change, and offering no sound policies. It must rescue the economy, which has hit rock bottom. Otherwise it will have to be changed.

Cabinet members often criticize other ministries. Cabinet members have publicly complained during Executive Yuan meetings that budgets have been cut. Outsiders get the impression that cabinet members are each going their own way, that they are each concerned only about their own lives, that they are each fighting only for their own turf. They do not resemble a team. Therefore the cabinet is the most important challenge. It must have a clear goal. It must have a clear division of labor. This will enable cabinet members to take action, to act like a team, to strive for a common goal.

The current economic and employment situation is particularly grim. We have experienced nine blue economic warning lights in a row. We think the larger objective should be to enhance worker employability,  and thereby reduce unemployment. But reducing unemployment should not be the sole responsibility only of the Council of Labor Affairs. It should not be the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Council for Economic Planning. It should be the common responsibility of all ministries.

Dividing the labor is not difficult. Some jobs are created by business investment. The government may help or hinder job investment. It all depends on the regulatory and administrative environment. It all depends on a variety of regulatory agencies. For example, the Ministry of Education oversees education. The Ministry of Transport oversees transportation and tourism. The Ministry of Culture oversees cultural undertakings. The Department of Health oversees medical employment. These authorities determine what kind of regulatory environment these industries will face.

For some time now these service industry ministries were given primary responsibility for the "management" of these industries. But the Executive Yuan needs new thinking. These ministries should be required to do more than manage. They also need to promote and assist the businesses they oversee. This includes both for profit and nonprofit entities. They must save existing jobs and create new employment opportunities.

The legal basis for this is well established. Article 4 of the May 2008 Industrial Innovation Act states: "Within one year after the promulgation of this Ordinance... central government industry regulatory agencies shall determine the direction of industrial development and submit industrial development plans to the Executive Yuan for approval and periodic review." It also stipulates that "The central government regulatory agency for each industry shall be responsible for promoting the development of that industry." It has been two years since that announcement was made. But the Executive Yuan has yet to make a serious effort to implement this program. It merely asks various ministries to conduct pro forma documentation. Everyone knows the score.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Council for Economic Planning are important. The Ministry of Economic Affairs oversees almost all manufacturing and general business. The CEPD oversees energy research, and the setting of goals for the nation and other ministries. Various cross-ministry political affairs representatives are also important. They are involved in improving the investment environment and making new investments. These require the active participation of cross-ministry political affairs respresentatives.

This mechanism, along with several flagship projects, constitute a point of light. The economy is salvageable. We think the Executive Yuan should seriously consider this mechanism. It should go all out. The international economic conditions may be grim. But faced with the same conditions, certain countries have maintained substantial economic growth. Other countries have experienced economic stagnation, even economic retrogression. The public will forgive a slowdown due to poor international conditions. But they will not tolerate a government that allows us to fall behind neighboring Asian countries. We think this mechanism will help the various ministries to take action. Consider the Council of Agriculture. Its main business was to look after farmers, to ensure the food supply, and to stablize agricultural production and the market order. Recently the Council of Agriculture proposed a creative point of light, called the "New Farmers Return Home Plan." It encourages urban youth to return to the farm to engage in high value-added agriculture, and to reactivate fallow agricultural land. If this plan is fully implemented, it could create new jobs in agriculture, and of course more jobs in general.

The various ministries must take action. From their respective positions, they must each propose plans to create or at least save jobs. Out of gratitude, they may set up project offices, They may help industry heads make investments. They may help them overcome difficulties instead of imposing unwarranted restraints in the name of industry regulation. Investments will be saved. Therefore jobs will be saved.

We hope the Executive Yuan will move in this direction, as soon as possible. It should promote such programs based on their effectiveness. It should assess the efficiency of various ministries. We hope that cabinet members will cease going their own ways. We hope they will keep their eye on the larger goal. We hope that based on their individual goals, they should formulate detailed programs, and implement them in earnest. Perhaps team morale can be restored. Perhaps team spirit can be reborn. This would both fulfill public expectations and assist economic recovery.
       
中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2012.09.26
社論－動起來拚就業 每個部會都有責任
本報訊

    　倒閣案沒有過以後，馬總統和他所領導的執政黨面臨更嚴格的挑戰。現在的政治情勢和社會氛圍很清楚，民眾對於現行內閣在過去半年處理證所稅、油價、電價等一連串議題的作法倒足胃口，對於面臨經濟和就業不佳的嚴峻情勢，遲遲未能推出感動人心的對策感到不耐。如果內閣還是我行我素、沒有改變，沒有推出好的政策，確實將經濟從谷底救起，到時候這個內閣不換也不可能。

    　我們看到有閣員經常批評其他部會業務，也有閣員在院會上公開抱怨預算被砍，目前內閣給外界的感覺是閣員各行其是，各自顧性命，各自拚舞台，不像是一個團隊。因此，內閣最大也是最重要的挑戰，就是如何有個明確目標，有個分工計畫，讓全體閣員「動起來」，像個團隊，一起為這個目標而努力。

    　當前經濟及就業情勢格外嚴峻，景氣燈號已經連九藍，我們建議，總體目標應當是趕快提升就業，降低失業率。但是失業改善，不應當只是直接主管單位勞委會的責任，也不應當只是經濟主管部會經濟部和經建會的責任，而是所有部會的共同責任。

    　要如何分工並不困難。就業的創造來自事業投資，而影響事業投資的重大因素，就是行政協助或掣肘的治理環境，也可以稱為法規及行政環境。決定這個環境的，就是各目的事業主管機關，例如教育部主管教育事業，交通部主管交通和觀光事業，文化部主管文化事業，衛生署主管醫療事業等等，這些主管機關也就決定了這些行業所面臨的治理環境。

    　在過去很長一段時間，這些服務業主管部會被賦予的主要責任，在於「管理」這些行業。行政院現在需要的新思維，就是應當要求這些部會除了管理以外，還需要負責推動和協助他們所主管的各行各業，包含營利事業和非營利事業，保住現有的就業機會，並創造新的就業機會。

    　這樣做的法源早就有了。九九年五月公布的《產業創新條例》第四條明訂：「本條例公布施行後一年內…各中央目的事業主管機關應訂定產業發展方向及產業發展計畫，報行政院核定，並定期檢討。」也規定：「各產業之中央目的事業主管機關，應負責推動所主管產業之發展。」現在離公布的時點已經超過兩年，行政院有沒有認真執行，還是只是請各部會寫篇文案聊備一格，大家心裡有數。

    　當然，經濟部和經建會還是很重要，畢竟，經濟部主管幾乎所有的製造業和一般性商業；而經建會應當以其研究能量，訂立全國的目標，和其下各部會的目標。各跨部會政務委員也很重要：許多投資環境的改善和新投資的推動，都牽涉跨部會業務，需要政務委員從事積極的協調。

    　如果能有這樣一個機制，再配合幾個旗艦計畫作為亮點，經濟總不致於救不起來。我們認為，行政院應當認真考慮這個機制，並全力以赴。國際經濟情勢嚴峻是一回事，但面臨同樣的國際情勢，為什麼有的國家可以維持相當幅度的成長，有的國家卻產生成長停滯或甚至倒退，是另一回事。人民可以原諒國際大環境不佳而產生的成長趨緩，但不能容忍我國的表現落於鄰近亞洲國家之後。我們相信，有了這樣一個機制，各部會都會「動起來」。以農委會為例，過去業務的重點在於照顧農民，確保糧食供應，穩定農產品產銷秩序，而最近農委會提出了一個有創意的亮點，叫做「新農返鄉計畫」，也就是鼓勵都市青年回到鄉村創業，從事高附加價值農業，活化休耕農地。這個計畫如果全力推動，可以創造新的農業就業，當然會對整體就業有幫助。

    　如果各部會都這樣動起來，在各自的崗位，提出好的就業創造或至少維持計畫，或者成立專案辦公室，以「感恩」的心情，來對待有志在該部會主管行業投資的事業，全力輔導，協助突破難關，而不是處處以管理為名，橫加掣肘，投資就有救了。投資有救，就業就有救了。

    　我們希望行政院盡速朝這個方向努力，並依據推動成效，對各部會進行考核。希望從此之後，閣員不再是各行其是，而是在大目標之下，依據個別的目標，訂立詳細的細部方案，並認真執行。如此或許團隊士氣可以恢復，團隊精神可以重生，也從而帶動經濟的恢復，有效回應國人的期盼。