The number of workers in Taiwan placed on furlough or unpaid leave programs increased slightly in the first half of this month as a couple of employers in the old economy sector reported a fall in export orders, Ministry of Labor data showed.
Data compiled by the ministry on Friday showed that the number of furloughed workers in Taiwan rose to 4,617 as of Thursday last week, up 180 from the 4,437 at the end of last month, while the number of employers who implemented unpaid leave programs also rose by 20 to 268 in the first half of the month.
The increase in furloughed workers largely came after two employers in the metal and electric machinery industry put more employees on unpaid leave, Labor Conditions and Equal Employment Division deputy head Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉) said.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Bureau of Labor Affairs
Each of the two companies — one machine-tool supplier and one bicycle parts maker — placed about 100 people on furlough in the 15-day period, due to a drop in export orders, Wang said.
It was not the first time that the two employers reported furlough programs to the ministry, she said.
As of Thursday, the number of furloughed workers in the export-oriented manufacturing sector rose to 3,678, from 3,573 at the end of last month.
Meanwhile, furloughed workers in the support service industry, which is comprised of travel agencies, rose from 45 at the end of last month to 59, and the figure for lodging, and food and beverage industries also rose from 341 to 371, the ministry’s data showed.
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