Taiwan: Filipino workers at semiconductor factories allege rights violations, incl. 16-hour workdays, making chips for Apple, Nvidia, Tesla and others; incl. cos. non-responses
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Filipino workers in semiconductor factories in Taiwan are allegedly subjected to abusive working conditions, finds an investigation by US outlet Rest of World.
In a two-part series published in May and June 2025, Rest of World finds Filipino workers experience a range of labour rights violations, including long hours, low wages, discrimination, verbal abuse, and other rights abuses.
For semiconductor companies, the environment is often military-style, with quotas to fill and workers being laid off if they can’t meet those quotas.Lennon Ying-Da Wang, Director at Serve the People Association
The series highlights how the semiconductor industry in Taiwan is booming amid the development of AI, and has seen a surge in employment of Filipino workers in the past decade as companies struggle to hire domestic employees.
The first of the two-part series can be read here.
In the second part of the series, linked below, Rest of World outlines findings from interviews with workers, who describe “overnight shifts of up to 16 hours, verbal abuse, and threats of deportation as they produce the high-end chips that end up in iPhones, Teslas, and data centers”.
The article includes interviews with over 10 migrant workers who allege abusive conditions. In one case, a Filipino worker says she worked 12-hour shifts and was allegedly bullied and forced to resign after raising complaints while making processing chip components used by Apple, Nvidia, and others. In another, a Filipino worker who tests servers used by x.AI said his salary was lower than anticipated and he was denied bonuses for minor productivity issues. Other companies that workers complained about or mentioned in interviews include ASE Technology Holding and Super Micro Computer. ASE Technology Holding told journalists that it investigates complaints and Super Micro Computer said it complies with local and international labour laws.
In June, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Apple, Nvidia, Tesla and x.AI to respond to the reporting. The companies did not respond.