Travel agencies in Taiwan reported the highest growth in the number of workers on official unpaid leave programs over the past week, as the number of furloughed workers continued to rise amid record numbers of local COVID-19 infections, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
Ministry data showed the number of furloughed workers in the support service industry, largely comprised of travel agencies, was 8,677 as of Saturday, up 272 from a report released on Monday last week.
The number of employers in the support service industry with furlough programs in place also rose during the week from 1,378 to 1,412, the data showed.
Photo: CNA
Nationwide, the number of workers on unpaid leave rose to 14,805, up 407 from a week earlier, the ministry said, adding that the number of companies with furlough programs in place also rose by 85 from a week earlier to 2,355.
Labor Conditions and Equal Employment Division deputy head Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉) said the increase in furloughed workers in the support service industry was the major factor driving the increase in workers on furlough last week.
Most of the travel agencies that introduced furlough programs over the past week were small and medium-sized firms, Wang said.
The support service industry had the highest number of furloughed workers as well as the largest number of employers introducing unpaid leave programs.
The number of furloughed workers in the manufacturing sector went against the trend, falling from 1,357 to 1,259 after a machinery provider ended its furlough program, taking about 200 workers off of unpaid leave, Wang said.
However, the number of employers in the sector with furlough programs in place rose from 104 to 109, the ministry said.
A semiconductor supplier also placed about half of its 200 employees on unpaid leave last week due to a shortage of production material supplies, she added.
The surge in domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases had raised concerns about its effects on hospitality and wholesale businesses, but these sectors only had a rise of about 40 and 50 furloughed workers respectively during the week, Wang said.
TECH TITANS: Amazon’s latest chip joins Google in competing for the 90 percent market share held by Nvidia, which claims it is ‘a generation ahead of the industry’ Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday launched its in-house-built Trainium3 artificial intelligence (AI) chip, marking a significant push to compete with Nvidia Corp in the lucrative market for AI computing power. The move intensifies competition in the AI chip market, where Nvidia dominates with an estimated 80 to 90 percent market share for products used in training large language models that power the likes of ChatGPT. Google last week caused tremors in the industry when it was reported that Facebook-parent Meta Platforms Inc would employ Google AI chips in data centers, signaling new competition for Nvidia. This followed the release last month of
INSULATED: The company said it is less exposed to global complications, as it has built a strong footprint worldwide, and has multiple sources of rare earths and raw minerals Merck Group yesterday said it would ramp up production next year at its new flagship facility in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) to satisfy growing demand for advanced semiconductor materials and specialty gases, and to address supply resilience issues amid mounting geopolitical risks. Merck made the remarks during a news conference before the inauguration of its 500 million euros (US$582.1 million) facility, which is also to supply other markets in the Asia-Pacific region, it said. Merck executive board deputy chair and electronics CEO Kai Beckmann told reporters the company adopted a “local-for-local” strategy about seven years ago to address the cycle time of
Two companies wholly owned by the daughter of the founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) on Monday reported to the Taiwan Stock Exchange that they would dispose of all of the Hon Hai shares they hold. In filings with the exchange, Hong Wei Investment Co (鋐維) said it would sell the 2.771 million Hon Hai shares it holds and Frontier Investment Corp (承鋒投資) said it would sell its 2.409 million Hon Hai shares from tomorrow until Jan. 3 next year. The two companies are wholly owned and chaired by Shirley Gou (郭曉玲), the eldest daughter of Hon Hai founder Terry
RIDING THE WAVE: The race to build AI infrastructure has lifted the valuations of top memory makers, such as Micron, amid dwindling inventories and supply challenges Micron Technology Inc is to spend ￥1.5 trillion (US$9.6 billion) to build a plant in western Japan to make memory chips for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, the Nikkei reported on Saturday. The move comes as Micron seeks to diversify advanced chip production outside of Taiwan, the Nikkei article said, citing people familiar with the matter. The new factory will manufacture high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, a key component for working with AI processors such as those made by Nvidia Corp, the report said. Micron would build the facility within the compound of its Hiroshima plant, starting in May next year, with plans to launch
RSS