The number of furloughed workers in Taiwan dropped by 3,020 last week, due mainly to a tentative recovery in domestic tourism.
The number of workers placed on furlough programs was 16,872 as of Wednesday last week, down from 19,892 the previous week, while the number of companies implementing unpaid leave programs fell to 2,605 from 2,990 during the period, Ministry of Labor data showed.
The lodging, food and beverage sector posted the most improvement, Labor Conditions and Equal Employment Division deputy head Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉) said.
The number of businesses in the sector implementing furlough programs fell from 325 in the first week of the month to 183 last week, she said.
A total of 1,719 workers in the sector are still on furlough, which is 1,907 fewer than the 3,626 in the first week of the month.
The sector has posted improvements in employment numbers for six consecutive weeks since Aug. 1.
The recovery was likely caused by the summer break, domestic tourism and the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.
The number of furloughed workers in retail and wholesale companies, as well as the transportation and warehousing sector and the support service sector, which largely comprises travel agencies, fell by about 300 each, Wang said.
Although the number of companies implementing furloughs in the manufacturing sector fell from 181 in the first week of the month to 172 last week, the number of furloughed workers increased by 168, raising the number from 2,299 in the first week of the month to 2,467, she said.
The increase was caused by an electronics hardware company placing 40 employees on furlough, and a carpentry business adding 100 workers to an unpaid leave program, she said.
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