公共服務擴大就業計畫與促進就業

自1996年以來，一向令台灣引以為傲的低失業率逐漸升高，迄2001年下半年，又受到國際景氣趨緩、國內投資衰退與產業結構調整之影響，致失業勞工未減反增。自2001年8月起，失業率突破5%；2002年失業率再創新高，其中除4月之外，其餘各月均維持在5%以上，8月更達5.35%之高峰，失業問題頓時成為台灣的最大難題。

The Public Works Employment Program in Taiwan provided a total of 82,021 employment opportunities for the jobless. The Council for Economic Planning and Development has estimated that the program reduced the unemployment rate by 0.23 of a percentage point in 2003. The policy objectives of the program were to provide public sector jobs as a means of increasing employment and reducing the number of people out of work. But while it certainly did stimulate employment during its period of implementation, it should be positioned as just a temporary, transitional support measure, whereas a longer term program of this nature or a succession of such programs would create psychological dependency among those taking advantage of it and would not be conducive to their returning to the regular workplace. The basic way to promote employment and reduce joblessness is for the government to make greater efforts toward extending labor-market freedom and reviewing related labor laws and welfare systems, with a view to creating and maintaining a sound labor environment that enables the work force’s optimal self-renewal and heightened productivity.