The number of workers on unpaid leave programs fell by more than 300 in the past 15 days, indicating that uncertainties on global trade resulting from US President Donald Trump’s tariff actions have not affected the local job market, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
Data compiled by the ministry showed the number of furloughed workers fell by 307 from the end of last month to 1,682 on Tuesday, while the number of employers who implemented unpaid leave programs dropped by 13 to 110 in the first half of the month.
Taiwan’s export-oriented manufacturing sector reported the largest decline in the number of furloughed workers in the 15 days, dropping by 171 from the end of last month to 1,361 on Tuesday, said Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉), deputy head of the ministry’s Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment.
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
Two machinery suppliers together called more than 200 employees back to work due to increased orders, while another machinery maker placed about 100 employees on unpaid leave, she said.
An electronics maker suspended its furlough program by putting more than 100 back to work and was in talks with its employees about whether the program would resume, she said.
Meanwhile, a plastics supplier placed more than 100 employers on furlough, she added.
The US’ tariff policies have so far had little adverse impact on local employment, but the issue has created tremendous uncertainties, Wang said.
In light of this, the ministry has contacted some exporters for updates about their situation, she added.
Outside the manufacturing sector, the lodging and food/beverage industry also reported that the number of furloughed workers dropped by 86 to 30 in the 15-day period after a hotel operator in Hualien County, which had felt the pinch from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on April 3 last year, ended a furlough program, she said.
However, it was not clear whether the hotel would resume the furlough program as the local tourism market remains weak, she added.
The ministry updates its furloughed worker data on the first and 16th of each month and reports the number of employees placed on unpaid leave by companies registered with the ministry.
Most enterprises implementing furlough programs are small firms that employ fewer than 50 people, the ministry said.
Unpaid leave programs typically last for less than three months, with employees taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month, the ministry said.
Seven of the 17 NT$10 million (US$311,604) winning receipts from the November-December uniform invoice lottery remain unclaimed as of today, the Ministry of Finance said, urging winners to redeem their prizes by May 5. The reminder comes ahead of the release of the winning numbers for the January-February lottery tomorrow. Among the unclaimed receipts was one for a NT$173 phone bill in Keelung, while others were for a NT$5,913 purchase at Costco in Taipei's Neihu District (內湖), a NT$49 purchase at a FamilyMart in New Taipei City's Tamsui District (淡水), and a NT$500 purchase at a tea shop in New Taipei City's
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
TALENT SCOUTING: The university is investing substantial funds in its future to bring in the kind of researchers that would keep the college internationally competitive National Taiwan University (NTU) plans to invest NT$2 billion (US$62.6 million) to launch two programs aimed at attracting and retaining top research talent, university president Chen Wen-chang (陳文章) said yesterday. The funding would support the “Palm Grove Scholars Project,” which targets academics aged 40 to 55. Up to 20 scholars would be selected, each receiving as much as NT$10 million annually, Chen said. The initiative is designed to attract leading researchers to Taiwan and strengthen NTU’s global competitiveness by fostering a more research-friendly environment and expanding international collaboration, he said. NTU is also introducing a “Hong Hu” chair grant, which would provide Palm
RSS