The number of workers on unpaid leave in Taiwan fell by more than 3,000 in the first week of April, but it is likely to rise again soon, as employers renew their formal furlough programs, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Friday.
According to MOL data, the number of workers on furlough as of April 7 was 12,198, a decrease of 3,353 from a week earlier.
Meanwhile, the number of companies with formal furlough programs as of April 7 fell by 437 from a week earlier to 2,008, the data indicated.
Huang Wei-chen (???), director of the MOL’s Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, told reporters that the decline in both numbers reflected the fact that the furlough programs of some travel agencies, airlines and logistics operators had expired during the past week.
Those employers, however, are likely to apply to the MOL for extension of their unpaid leave programs, Huang said, citing slow business in those areas due to Taiwan’s border controls amid the COVID-10 pandemic.
Another factor that contributed to the drop in furlough numbers over the past week was a decision by a textile manufacturer to call back more than 100 employees who had been on unpaid leave, as the company saw an increase in orders, Huang said.
In the wider manufacturing sector, the number of furloughed workers in the week ending April 7 fell to 797 from 1,100, according to the MOL.
The support service industry, which largely comprises travel agencies, also saw a decline, from 9,148 to 7,637, while in the transportation and logistics industry the number dropped to 1,024 from 1,561 a week earlier, the data showed.
The number of furloughed workers in the retail and wholesale industry fell from 1,143 to 795, according to the MOL data.
Looking ahead, Huang said the current daily increase in the number of domestic COVID-19 cases may affect the local job market in the near term.
The MOL updates its furloughed worker data on the 1st, 8th, 16th, and 24th of every month, reporting unpaid leave numbers at companies that have registered their furlough programs with the ministry.
Most of the enterprises implementing furlough programs are small firms that employ fewer than 50 people.
The unpaid leave programs typically last for less than three months, with employees taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month, according to the MOL.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel