The Ministry of Labor yesterday reported a significant decline of 2,202 manufacturing workers on formal unpaid leave programs over the past two weeks amid a resurgence in the manufacturing sector.
The number of workers on unpaid leave programs dropped from 9,764 to 7,562 between Jan. 2 and yesterday, data compiled by the ministry showed.
Of the 2,202 workers brought back to work full time, 2,158 work in the export-oriented manufacturing sector, with most of them employed in the metal, electric machinery, information technology (IT) and electronics sectors, which have seen rebounds in orders, the ministry said.
Photo: CNA
About 800 of the employees whose furloughs were ended were in the bicycle and bicycle component, semiconductor and metal product sectors, Labor Conditions and Equal Employment Division Deputy Director Wang Chin-jung (王金蓉) said.
Another 400 were in the IT and electronics sectors, Wang said.
The number of workers placed on formal unpaid leave programs has been declining since reaching a peak of 12,388 at the end of August last year, she said.
The downward trend is most apparent this month and is expected to continue, as many companies would need more workers to meet delivery deadlines ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, she said.
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