The Control Yuan has called on the Executive Yuan to do a better job of boosting domestic employment.

Taiwan's highest watchdog said in a statement Thursday, "After an investigation, the Control Yuan found that the Executive Yuan has failed to come up with effective long-term measures to boost domestic employment," a Control Yuan official said.

The statement, reflecting a resolution of the Control Yuan, said the high rate of unemployment had become a source of public dissatisfaction with the government.

Hit by the global financial meltdown, the unemployment rate reached a record high of 6.13 percent in August 2009. While the local job market has since improved gradually on recovering global demand, the jobless rate still stood at 5.67 percent in March.

Earlier this year, "Premier" Wu Den-yih vowed to bring unemployment below 5 percent by the end of this year by asking the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) and Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) to come up with measures to improve the job market.

The Control Yuan said the Cabinet should wield its power to coordinate and supervise subordinate agencies such as the CLA and CEPD, and map out long-term strategies to decrease the jobless rate.

In the same motion, the Control Yuan also asked the CLA and CEPD to correct their job improvement strategies.

Government Information Office chief Johnny Chiang said the Executive Yuan will review its job market policy based on the Control Yuan's suggestions.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 05/07/2010 page3)