Although the number of people on unpaid leave continues to decline, labor groups expressed skepticism yesterday as to whether the unemployment situation has indeed improved.
The latest job statistics announced by the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) showed that the number of workers on unpaid leave had decreased from 144,565 people in the middle of last month to 126,175 people at the end of the month. The number of companies that have asked workers to take unpaid leave had also decreased from 855 in middle of the month to 848 companies at the end of the month.
Council officials said they saw declines in the number of people on unpaid leave in all parts of the country, adding that they expected the situation to continue to improve. Officials predicted even larger decreases in the number of workers on unpaid leave this month, saying the decline would be caused by the expiration of unpaid-leave contracts between workers and their management at the end of the month.
However, Son Yu-lian (孫友聯), secretary-general of the Taiwan Labour Front, was skeptical about the rosy picture that the council has been painting.
Son said that although the number of workers on unpaid leave was declining, many of those workers have actually become unemployed after being on unpaid leave for a period of time.
“The number of workers on unpaid leave is decreasing, but the situation has not necessarily improved,” he said.
Son said many workers have been on unpaid leave for so long that they have given up on being called back to work and therefore found other means to support themselves through the economic downturn.
The CLA said on Wednesday that the number of people receiving benefits had surged to a record high of 130,000 last month.
Unemployment benefits last month totaled NT$2.5 billion (US$76.26 million), an all-time high, which was attributed to the implementation of the newly amended Employment Insurance Act (就業保險法)and the fact that there were comparatively more workdays in the month, and therefore more time for applications to be submitted.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS