Published: October 2026
From November 2025 to June 2026, Transparentem investigators interviewed 24 migrant workers from Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines employed by seven manufacturers in Taiwan’s electronics, car, and pump sectors. Our investigation focused on recruitment-related issues and found evidence of high recruitment fees paid by workers, in most cases requiring them to take loans to secure their jobs, which them at risk of debt bondage. The International Labour Organization (ILO) has recognized debt bondage as an indicator of forced labor.
The factory investigations described in this report are part of a series of work Transparentem has undertaken in Taiwan beginning in 2022, all finding unethical recruitment practices putting migrant workers at high risk of forced labor. Together with The Price of Work and Following the Thread, both published in February 2025, and the progress report On the Mend, published in July 2026, this report provides information about very high recruitment fees and a wide range of other labor abuses endured by more than 130 migrant workers from Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand in 24 manufacturing facilities. As a result of this exposure, more than US$5.5 million had been reimbursed to workers as of our latest information in August 2026, with more committed to be repaid by the end of the year.
Toward a Binding, Worker-Driven Solution to Recruitment Abuse
After decades of persistent problems, it is time for global brands across multiple sectors to develop a much stronger and more proactive system to eliminate unethical recruitment of migrant workers in Taiwan’s factories. Transparentem, alongside several civil society groups in Taiwan, calls on companies to explore and establish a worker-driven initiative based on contractual agreements between global unions and global brands. A binding agreement in Taiwan would allow workers to safely disclose abuses, negotiate improvements, and generally secure effective prevention and remediation.
Findings and Company Responses
At all seven manufacturers, this investigation found evidence of high recruitment fees paid by workers.
At Garmin, a US-headquartered manufacturer of GPS-enabled electronics with several manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, and at Compal, interviewees said they had paid Vietnamese recruiters high recruitment fees and related costs (including deposits) between US$2,050 and US$6,400 for their jobs. Interviewees at Garmin also reported deceptive recruitment and intimidation and threats in the recruitment process. At the other five manufacturers (see the box on the left side of this page), interviewees said they had paid recruiters high recruitment fees ranging from US$1,000 to US$6,300 for their jobs. Interviewees at these five manufacturers also said they paid US$50 to US$60 per month to Taiwanese labor brokers, which would amount to at least US$1,800 over a three-year contract period, the equivalent of almost two months’ base wages in Taiwan.
From April through July 2026, Transparentem engaged the investigated manufacturers and companies with possible supply chain connections to them. We sent reports to the seven manufacturers, 18 buyers (listed in a box on the left side of this page), and three significant shareholders, of which one is also a buyer. The reports presented evidence of labor abuses and recommended actions that manufacturers and buyers should take to correct and remedy harm.
We were encouraged that four of the seven manufacturers and several buyers opted to take action to address the problems Transparentem found. These actions included planning for reimbursement of recruitment fees and related costs at two manufacturers, according to their reports. These two manufacturers had reimbursed current workers by late June 2026. Transparentem expects significant additional amounts to be repaid to workers by the two manufacturers in the coming months. But it’s disappointing that workers still face unreimbursed recruitment fees even after significant attention to the problem. Advanced Optoelectronic Technology, Digital Generation International, and Tsurumi Pump did not react to Transparentem’s findings at all.
To see how each manufacturer and buyer responded when shown evidence of abuse, and our recommendations to buyers, read the full report.
Reproductive Rights Connected to Forced Labor Violations: An Emerging Issue
Transparentem obtained very concerning information at one of the factories covered by this report, including a list of 141 former female Vietnamese employees of the same company who said that, in order to secure their jobs in Taiwan, they had been required by their recruitment agency to use one of two contraceptive methods: either to have a contraceptive implant inserted in their body or to have an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted. Several of the women also said that they had been required to deposit US$1,100 to US$1,200 into a bank account managed by the recruitment agency and that they would lose the money if they became pregnant during the contract period.
This information was recently shared with the employer, but the timeline for this report did not allow us to request a timely response from the employer. The employer is therefore not named in this report. Transparentem will continue to investigate this issue.
Recommendations to Buyers
Transparentem continues to urge that all buyers whose supply chains extend into the manufacturing sectors in Taiwan take immediate action to address the high risk of migrant worker paid recruitment fees and related costs, including monthly broker fees. Companies should adopt, and verify the implementation of, “no fee” recruitment policies throughout their supply chains and insist that business partners also adopt and implement such policies. These policies must include the reimbursement of recruitment fees and related costs to all current and former workers without delay.