The number of workers in formal furlough programs nationwide surpassed 7,300 as of Monday, with more than 6,000 placed on unpaid leave due to the impact of US tariffs, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
Ministry data showed that 7,334 workers were on furlough, up 2,471 from 4,863 at the end of last month.
Of those, 6,246 came from industries hit by the 20 percent US levy imposed on Taiwanese exports, an increase of 3,191 from two weeks earlier.
Photo: Lee Chin-hui, Taipei Times
The number of employers implementing furlough programs also rose by 88 during the same period to 333, the ministry said.
The spike largely came from the export-oriented manufacturing sector, which has been under heavy pressure since the tariffs took effect on Aug. 7, Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Director Huang Chi-ya (黃琦雅) said.
Manufacturers accounted for 6,870 furloughed workers, or more than 90 percent of the total, Huang said, with the machinery and equipment industry hit hardest, reporting 3,247 workers on furlough.
A total of 242 employers cited the US tariffs as the reason for implementing furlough programs, she added.
By contrast, employment in the domestic demand-oriented services sector appeared relatively stable.
The transportation and logistics industry reported no furloughed workers, while the number in the retail and wholesale sector rose slightly to 368 from 356, ministry figures showed.
To cushion the blow, the ministry last month launched "Subsidy Program 2.0" to provide financial aid to furloughed workers in designated industries.
The program covers 70 percent of reduced wages.
In the past 15 days, 5,940 workers became eligible to apply, Huang said.
The ministry updates furlough data on the first and 16th of each month, covering unpaid leave programs reported by registered employers.
Most involve small firms with fewer than 50 employees, with programs typically lasting less than three months and requiring staff to take five to eight days of unpaid leave per month.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
RSS