The number of workers on unpaid leave fell in the first two weeks of this month as the economy improved, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Labor yesterday.
As of Wednesday, the number of workers on unpaid leave stood at 223, down 26 from a month earlier.
The unpaid leave data was released a day after the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics raised its forecast for the nation’s GDP growth this year to 1.92 percent from 1.87 percent projected in November last year.
The economy has returned to positive territory since the second half of last year, with GDP growth of 1.5 percent.
The National Development Council, the nation’s top economic planning agency, has set a growth target of between 2 percent and 2.5 percent for this year.
This month, only 10 employers had implemented unpaid-leave programs after reaching an agreement with their employees, unchanged from last month, the ministry said.
In the 30-day period, three employers terminated their unpaid leave programs, but an additional three launched furlough programs, which left the total number unchanged, the ministry added.
Twice a month, the government releases data on unpaid leave to provide an update on conditions in the local labor market.
The latest report was delayed due to the Lunar New Year holiday.
Most of the companies with employees on unpaid leave were small enterprises with workforces of fewer than 50 employees, the ministry said.
The companies have been asking their workers to take between nine and 12 days of unpaid leave per month for a period of up to three months, the ministry said.
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