The number of workers on formal unpaid leave programs fell by more than 2,000 in the first half of this month to a three-month low because of an increase in rush orders, Ministry of Labor data released on Tuesday showed.
The number of furloughed workers fell by 2,035 from the end of last month to 7,118 as of Monday, the lowest level since Sept. 15, the data showed.
The number of employers with active unpaid leave programs fell by 78 in the 15-day period to 378, the data showed.
Photo: Lee Ching-hui, Taipei Times
Furlough programs registered with the ministry typically last for less than three months, with employees on average taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month, the ministry said.
Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment head Huang Chi-ya (黃琦雅) told reporters that 11 companies with at least 50 employees each received rush orders, prompting them to place a combined 1,115 workers back on production lines during the latest reporting period.
However, it remains to be seen whether the overall job market would continue to improve given the potential adverse effects of US tariffs, Huang said.
The vast majority of workers on unpaid leave programs as of Monday were in the export-oriented manufacturing sector, accounting for 6,667, or about 93 percent of the total, she said.
The number indicates that some manufacturers were still feeling the pinch of US tariffs, she added.
Of the 6,667, 5,014 were in the traditional metal and electric machinery industry, which has been hit by tariffs and a fall-off in global demand, she said.
Despite the decline in the number of workers on unpaid leave, the latest figure was still much higher than the 1,993 at the end of March, before the White House announced its tariffs in early April, Huang said.
The number of furloughed workers in the domestic demand-oriented service sector was stable in the latest 15-day period compared with the prior period, the data showed.
The number of furloughed workers in the wholesale and retail industry rose to 329 from 316 at the end of last month, while the transportation and warehousing industry reported only four furloughed workers, down from 13, the data showed.
The ministry updates its furloughed worker data on the 1st and the 16th of every month. Only firms that report the implementation of furlough programs to the ministry are represented in the data.
Most of the enterprises that implement furlough programs are small, employing fewer than 50 people each.
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