Workers who lost at least one-fifth of their income due to the COVID-19 outbreak can apply for a one-time subsidy of NT$10,000, the Ministry of Labor said on Thursday.
The program, which launches on Monday, allows people with insured monthly salaries of NT$24,000 to NT$34,800 (US$855 to US$1,168) to apply for the subsidy if their income dropped by at least 20 percent either in May or last month, said Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛), director of the ministry’s Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment.
The upper range is roughly in line with the nation’s average insured monthly salary of NT$34,385 as of April, he said.
People whose income dropped because they took “disease prevention childcare leave” or because they were in quarantine would also be eligible to apply, he said.
Workers in sectors hard hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, such as the restaurant and hotel industries, who earn about NT$30,000 per month would have seen their pay drop below the NT$24,000 minimum wage, Huang added.
The ministry has set up a Web site for people to apply for the subsidies. The site will begin accepting applications on Monday for those whose income was affected in May, and on July 23 for those whose income was affected last month.
Applicants will be asked to upload documents — such as paychecks, bank transfer records or proof from their employer — showing the decrease in their income, and if there are no issues, they will receive the payment within three days, Huang said.
The ministry estimates that about 800,000 people would qualify for the benefits, and has allocated an initial sum of NT$8 billion to pay for the program, he added.
In related news, data released on Thursday by the ministry showed the number of workers on unpaid leave rose over the past week to 21,133, the highest this year, with a record 1,883 businesses involved.
Nationwide, the number of employees on unpaid leave increased by 7,507 over the past week to 21,133, while an additional 578 businesses implemented furlough programs, bringing the total to 1,883, ministry data showed.
The lodging and food-and-beverage industries, which have been hardest hit by the restrictions under a nationwide level 3 COVID-19 alert, saw the largest increase in the number of furloughed workers, up to 9,331 as of Wednesday, from 4,174 a week ago, the ministry said.
The retail and wholesale industries had 3,716 employees on unpaid leave, up from 2,087 a week earlier, the data showed.
The level 3 restrictions have dealt a blow to the lodging and food-and-beverage industries, as people are advised not to go out unless necessary, Huang said.
This has forced an increasing number of businesses in those sectors to send their workers on leave without pay, the department said.
In the manufacturing sector, the number of employees on unpaid leave dropped to 951 from 1,952 a week earlier, Huang said.
In total, the number of businesses that reported unpaid leave programs rose to 1,883, the highest since June 30 last year, when it was 1,444, ministry data showed.
Most of the companies implementing furlough programs are small firms with workforces of fewer than 50 people.
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