1. Workers’ compensation due to overwork in 2021

According to statistics provided by Ministry of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Insurance (BLI), in 2021, a total of 150 claims were filed to BLI for work-related cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs). The BLI ultimately approved 47 of the 150 applications, which was a 31.33 percent approval rate.

Among the 150 cases, nearly half of them (74) had filed for compensation for work-related deaths, followed by temporary disability benefits, and applications for permanent disability benefits were the least.

Among the 57 that filed temporary disability compensation, 21 of them or 36.84 percent were approved by the BLI. 19 filed for permanent disability compensation, and 63.16 percent or 12 of them were approved. Meanwhile, among the 74 filed for compensation for work-related deaths, , only 14 of them or 18.92 percent were approved. Similar to what happened in the past, approval rate for work-related death compensation was the lowest, perhaps because it is not easy to establish the connection between the death and work after the death of a laborer. 

In terms of work-related mental disorders, in 2021, 18 claims were filed to BLI for compensation. Among them, only 10, or 55.56 percent, were approved by the BLI. Most of them were temporary disability cases, and then were permanent disability ones. 11 cases were filed for temporary disability compensation, and 7 were approved, making the approval rate 63.64 percent. 7 cases were filed for permanent disability compensation, 2 were passed. The approval rate was 42.86 percent. There was no application for compensation for death.

2. Overview of trends in overwork-related labor insurance payouts

In the recent decade, the number of cases filed for labor insurance compensation for work-related CCVDs peaked in 2012. In that year, 384 claims were made for work-related injuries, and 92 payouts were made. The number went up and down in the following years. In 2021, the numbers were the lowest in the decade for both claims and payouts made, and the COVID-19 pandemic could have played an important role. For about 2.5 months from mid-May to end of July last year, dine-in was banned in restaurants, while other entertainment and service industry establishments were temporarily shut down as level 3 pandemic control was in place. Besides people who worked in pandemic-control fields, such as medical and cleaning personnel, workhours for many people significantly reduced.

Labor insurance payouts for work-related mental disorder have been on the rise in the past 2 years. The number has grown from single-digits gradually to double-digits. However, overall, the numbers of claims and approvals are still low. 

3. Analysis on yearly trends

Looking back to the overwork situation in 2021, claims for work injury compensation have significantly reduced for either CCVDs or mental disorders. In the past 5 years from 2017 to 2020, there is no obvious change in the average workhour in Taiwan. However, the annual total workhour has gone down significantly last year by approximately 20 hours amid the pandemic compared to the year before. It’s worth noting that, overtime hours did not decrease, rather, they increased. This may be because people had to work overtime when the pandemic situation eased to make up for temporary suspension of work when the pandemic was more severe. 

Last year, the BLI approved a total of 47 work-related CCVD claims. These include 18 in the support service activities, 8 in the manufacturing, 6 in transportation and storage, 4 in construction, 3 in wholesale and retail trade, 3 in human health and social work activities, 2 in other service activities, 1 in agriculture, forestry, fishing, and animal husbandry, 1 in accommodation and food service activities, and 1 in real estate activities. The statistics show that overwork is most serious in support service activities, especially among security guards. It was also a serious issue for the manufacturing industry, as well as for transportation and storage. The aforementioned 3 industries account for 68 percent of all cases. 

Instead of CCVDs, work-related mental disorders pose a significant threat to the health of people working in health and social work fields. Among the 10 approved claims for work injuries, 4 were from people working in human health and social work activities, accounting for 40 percent. Taking a closer look, though people working in manufacturing account for 27.66 percent of work-related mental disorder claims over the years, the total number of people working in the industry account for 29.63 percent of people covered by labor insurance. However, 17.02 percent of payouts for work-related mental disorder go to health workers and social workers, but they only account for 5.33 percent of the workers covered by labor insurance. The figures show how serious mental disorder is an issue for health workers and social workers. 

It's also worth noting that, under the pandemic last year, risks have also increased for certain groups of workers. For example, pandemic control workers, cleaners, and medical workers. In just a month, from the end of November to the end of December last, 3 nurses have been reported to have CCVDs in a hospital in Taipei. Two of them passed away, and one was hospitalized. Moreover, government pandemic relief plans only made the situation worse. For instance, many bank employees had to work overtime to review over a million applications submitted for pandemic relief loans as such applications are time sensitive. However, these risks are not shown in statistics above.