Hailed as a beacon of progressivity in Asia, Taiwan now faces a critical test: can it ensure DEIA practices are a lived reality for everyone?

On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed several executive orders that significantly impact Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. The titles of these orders, including “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” send a message that – at least for now – the U.S. government has broken ties with the concept.

“We will forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” Trump said in his inaugural address.

Despite this development across the Pacific, implementing DEIA initiatives has been a critical part of enhancing the competitiveness of Taiwan’s labor market. And with labor shortages caused by one of the fastest aging populations in the world, Taiwan could still leverage DEIA practices – particularly those that enable employees to perform better – to attract lasting talent and increase employee retention rates.

The Taiwan government is making strides in helping companies utilize DEIA principles to elevate operations and thrive. For example, a policy objective outlined by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) has been to “strengthen the creation of a friendly work environment by implementing workplace inclusivity and employment equality.” To do so, the MOL established the Work-Life Balance Award in 2014, which encourages flexible working arrangements, family-conscious accommodations, and employee care initiatives. In addition, 2024 marked the MOL’s 22nd Gold Medal Award, celebrating the promotion of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

In addition to public sector initiatives, programs like the Diversity for Better Tomorrow Awards, organized by Womany Media Group, and the Taiwan LGBTQI+ Inclusive Workplace Index, co-published by the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQI+) Hotline Association and the Taiwan Equality Campaign, serve as important benchmarks. These initiatives enable the next generation of professionals to evaluate whether employers are genuinely committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Last year the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan) collaborated with Taiwanese business leaders to host a DEIA celebration forum, further demonstrating its importance among influential companies.

AmCham member Gilead Sciences Taiwan is a trailblazer in inclusivity. “One of Gilead’s key initiatives to support employees is the creation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including the Pride Alliance, Women at Gilead, and the Gilead Asian Interest Network (GAIN),” says Cathy Su, general manager of Gilead Sciences Taiwan.

ERGs are voluntary, employee-led groups within an organization designed to enable a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with the company’s mission and values, bringing together employees with shared interests or experiences to support professional development and address challenges. “These ERGs foster a strong sense of community by providing spaces for employees to connect, support one another, and organize events that champion diversity and inclusion,” says Su.

Another ERG specialist is Corning Incorporated. The company sponsors 15 ERGs, as well as its Technology Community Women’s Network (TCWN), a group dedicated to empowering women through various events. So far, more than 6,000 participants have developed their skills and network with like-minded individuals to foster personal and professional growth within tech through the TCWN.

The success of the TCWN “reflects the diverse interests of Corning’s workforce, spanning ethnicity, gender, job function, and veteran identity,” says Andrew Ho, president of Corning Display Technologies Taiwan. “These ERGs facilitate meaningful exchanges of experiences and strengthen employees’ sense of belonging within the company.”

The Ministry of Economic Affairs reported that in 2021, women accounted for 37% of all business owners in Taiwan, surpassing South Korea by 0.2% and nearly doubling Japan’s rate of 17.4%.

Global pharmaceutical company Pfizer has been another industry role model in addressing the gender gap. By establishing the Women’s Resource Group in 2017, which later transformed into the DEI Council, Pfizer has upskilled future female leaders and promoted the company’s core values among colleagues, patients, and society through events and team collaborations.

The road to enhanced opportunities and security for women and other underrepresented groups has been long, with plenty of work ahead. However, to further bolster inclusion, a critical area remains: empowering those with disabilities. According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, live with disabilities. In Taiwan, those with disabilities make up 1.2 million people, or around 5% of the island’s population, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s (MOHW) 2024 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report.

In recent years, accessibility has gained worldwide attention following the endorsement of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This awareness has led to policies and regulations aimed at improving accessibility for disabled individuals. For example, the MOHW introduced the People with Disabilities Rights Protection Act in 2021, which recognized that inaccessible transportation and public buildings, along with deficient social support, can all result in decreased life quality.

Building an inclusive base

Leading multinational companies in Taiwan and forward-thinking local companies have started adopting accessibility best practices to ensure full participation in the workplace, with improvements in physical accessibility at the forefront.

Pfizer set an example when redesigning its office space by specifically allocating funds toward the construction of ramps and wider doorways for people who use physically assistive devices, an uncommon move in Taiwanese strategic business planning. Employees have also been provided with ergonomic workstations, allowing them to work more comfortably and preventing health problems such as back pain or metabolic syndrome.

Accessible technology is another crucial piece of the puzzle. To tackle this challenge, many companies have begun adopting assistive technologies to support employees with disabilities. For instance, screen readers for visually impaired employees and speech-to-text software for those with hearing impairments have become more commonplace. Corning’s Ho shares that AI-powered speech-to-text tools provided useful live captions during one of Corning’s major forums.

“The live captions generated by these AI tools allowed employees to participate either in person or virtually, making engagement more flexible and accessible,” he says.

Beyond physical and digital accommodations, flexible work arrangements are a significant contributor to enhanced accessibility. AmCham’s 2025 Business Climate Survey report revealed that the top initiative among respondents to attract and retain talent was offering flexible working arrangements at 66%, with 78% of respondents being satisfied with their ability to recruit talent to meet their company’s needs. Options such as remote work, adjustable working hours, or adaptable workspaces enable employees to perform better under more preferable conditions.

As a strong advocate for DEIA implementation, Corning provides employees with a two-hour flexibility window when forming their work schedules. This kind of approach has been widely adopted by companies, reflecting its effectiveness in fostering an inclusive and accessible workplace without sacrificing productivity.

In a similar fashion, Pfizer tailors workflow designs to individuals with disabilities and emphasizes personalized work environments, leading the company to win the 2024 Work-Life Balance Award for demonstrating the potency of prioritizing employees’ well-being. The company also equips its offices with health equipment like blood pressure monitors and body composition analyzers. Having these devices at an employee’s disposal allows them to stay informed about their unique health needs, decreasing the frequency of external appointments and health-related absences while creating a space where health and performance go hand in hand.

After relocating to a new office building, Gilead Taiwan introduced a new dedicated library space and wellbeing room, designed for employees to rest, recharge, and reduce disturbances. These initiatives create a virtuous cycle in which treating employees well boosts company performance, bettering a company’s reputation and incentivizing prospective talent to join the team.

Challenging conformity

Despite growing awareness, significant challenges remain in implementing accessibility practices in Taiwan. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have comparatively fewer resources than their larger counterparts, make up 98% of Taiwan’s economy. Proposals to reform office spaces or upgrade digital platforms often face significant resistance, driven by concerns over financial feasibility or uncertain returns on investment – challenges that larger corporations are generally better equipped to handle.

One such upgrade involves enhancing internal systems and websites to make them more universally user-friendly. For instance, designing a user interface that accommodates color-blind users or supports multiple languages demonstrates a company’s commitment to meeting the diverse needs of employees and clients. AmCham members have in the past raised concerns about the lack of English-language digital resources, urging the government to champion their development across industries. Expanding such resources would enhance access for diverse groups and enable SMEs, despite limited personnel and funding, to connect with a global audience and talent pool.

While accessible facilities are essential, structural changes alone are insufficient to foster meaningful inclusion. Taiwan’s workplace culture can at times create an environment that feels less personable and employee-centric. A notable example occurred in 2021 when TSMC brought American engineers to Taiwan to prepare for its new semiconductor fab in Arizona. Many of these engineers found themselves overwhelmed by the long hours, high-pressure environment, and rigid hierarchy – an experience that, while challenging for them, is a familiar reality for many Taiwanese employees.

Taiwan, similar to China, India, and Japan, has implemented disability employment quotas for companies with 35 or more employees. Non-compliant companies are publicly listed on a government website – a measure intended to encourage businesses to prioritize the employment of people with disabilities. While well-intentioned, these policies have yet to significantly improve employment rates for people with disabilities in these markets.

Community Business, a DEIA nonprofit operating across Asia, argues that fundamental challenges – such as deep-rooted cultural stigma, inadequate supporting infrastructure, and a limited pool of qualified disabled talent – often hinder even the most committed companies from meeting the requirements. As a result, many businesses opt to pay fines, falsify compliance data, or exploit loopholes, undermining the intended impact of such policies and highlighting the need for more comprehensive and sustainable solutions.

To promote a “speak-up” culture and constructive communication, Corning incorporates discussion on DEIA initiatives into its communications meetings. It utilizes online training courses and diverse learning resources on topics such as managing unconscious bias to give every individual some varying ability to navigate difficult conversations elicited by DEIA-inspired discussions. Corning focuses on raising awareness and lowering the possibility of overlooked aggressions to promote mutual respect in the workplace, says Corning’s Ho.

Microaggressions are subtle, often unintentional comments or actions that reflect underlying biases toward marginalized groups. These can manifest in various ways, such as questioning a person’s fluency in a language based on their ethnicity, making assumptions about an employee’s role or competence due to their gender, or expressing surprise at their career achievements because of their age. Due to their nature, reports of microaggressions are often dismissed as “harmless.” Approximately 23% of workers worldwide experience harassment – including microaggressions – in the workplace, according to the Society of Research Administrators (SRA) DEI Committee research on workplace bullying.

Companies often struggle to mitigate such micro-aggressive behaviors. Individuals with disabilities, in particular, are often viewed through the lens of needing charity or special accommodation, rather than viewed as equals deserving of empowerment. The unintended result is a feeling of othering or marginalization. In its effort to prevent these outcomes, Gilead’s 2024 Corporate Social Responsibility campaign committed to tackling stigma and discrimination. The campaign focused on “often overlooked microaggressions” that are likely to cause distress and a sense of exclusion, says Su.

Creating accessible workplaces goes beyond merely complying with industry trends; it is about fostering employee satisfaction and a genuine sense of belonging by removing barriers that can hinder productivity and engagement.

“We want our employees to feel they belong and are valued,” says Su. “No matter where we operate, whether it’s the United States or Taiwan, we want to make sure that we have the best practice introduced to our local markets, bringing the core values from headquarters to the local market and helping make an impact everywhere.”