The number of officially furloughed workers in Taiwan increased by more than 2,800 in a week, the largest weekly increase this year amid a large COVID-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Thursday.
Data released by the MOL on Thursday showed the number of workers on unpaid leave during the week of June 8-15 rose to 19,484, up 2,844 from the previous report released on June 8.
The number of companies with furlough programs in place also rose by 261 from a week earlier to 2,729 in the week, the data indicated.
Speaking to CNA, Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉), deputy head of the MOL’s Labor Conditions and Equal Employment Division, said half of the newly added furloughed workers were from the lodging and food and beverage industry as an ongoing surge in domestic COVID-19 infections had deterred many consumers from traveling and dining on-site.
According to the MOL, the number of workers put on furlough in the lodging and food and beverage industry rose during the week of June 8-15 from 3,125 to 4,668, the highest so far this year.
During the week, Wang said, a large-sized restaurant chain reported to the MOL that it had placed more than 600 workers in central and southern Taiwan on its unpaid leave program.
Two catering companies which were categorized in the light industry also reported having placed more than 100 workers on unpaid leave in the week, Wang said.
In the entertainment and leisure industry, Wang said, more than 200 workers at a KTV parlor were on furlough, while an auto parts vendor in the retail and wholesale industry also placed more than 70 workers on unpaid leave, Wang added.
Wang said fears over COVID-19 infections had caused many consumers to avoid going to entertainment venues and restaurants.
During the week of June 8-15, the number of furloughed workers in the retail and wholesale industry rose to 1,287 from 1,025, while the number of workers on unpaid leave programs in the entertainment and leisure industry also rose to 358 from 135, the MOL’s data showed.
The data also indicated that the number of furloughed workers in the manufacturing sector rose to 1,390 from 1,212 during the week of June 8-15.
The MOL updates its furloughed worker data on the 1st, 8th, 16th, and 24th of every month, reporting unpaid leave numbers for 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