The number of workers on unpaid leave in Taiwan dropped by more than 100 in the first two weeks of this month, government statistics showed yesterday.
As of Friday last week, there were 577 workers on furlough, compared with 703 at the end of last month, a decline of 126, Ministry of Labor data showed.
Ministry data showed that 21 employers put workers on unpaid leave during the first two weeks of this month, compared with 25 at the end of last month, with eight employees terminating their furlough and four beginning it.
Most of the companies with furloughed workers are small enterprises in the metal and electronics industries with a workforce of less than 50 employees, the ministry said.
Generally, employees are asked to take unpaid leave for four to eight days per month, the ministry said.
The government has launched a NT$20 billion (US$617 million) program to offer training to affected employees to upgrade their job skills, the ministry said.
Under the program, trainees receive a stipend of NT$100 per hour to help meet their living expenses, up to maximum of NT$12,000 per month, it added.
The government releases furlough data twice each month to update the local labor market conditions, particularly in light of Taiwan’s declining exports.
Last month, Taiwan’s exports fell 11.4 percent from a year earlier to US$22.72 billion, marking their 14th consecutive month of year-on-year declines.
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