The number of workers on unpaid leave fell by 1,660 to below 7,446 in the 15 days to Thursday in the wake of the export-oriented manufacturing sector securing more orders, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) reported on Friday.
The data also showed the number of employers using furlough programs fell by 24 to 337 between Jan. 31 and Thursday as the employment situation improved in both the manufacturing and service sectors.
For instance, an information communications device supplier with a workforce of more than 500, and two electronics component manufacturers with a workforce of about 140 each ended their furlough programs in the first half of January, Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Director Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛) said.
Photo: Lam Yik Fei, Bloomberg
In addition, a chemical company and a rubber/plastics maker with a workforce of 200 and 100 respectively ended their unpaid leave programs, while a printing company and a light industrial firm that hired more than 100 employees each also ended their use of furlough, he said.
In the first half of this month, the number of furloughed workers in the manufacturing sector fell by 1,526 to 6,748 as of Thursday, he added.
Due to their interconnection with the manufacturing sector, some wholesale firms and retailers in the service sector also reported a decline in furloughed workers, Huang said.
As of Thursday, the number of workers placed on unpaid leave in the wholesale and retail industry fell to 562 from 685 at the end of last month, while the number of employers using furlough programs in the industry also fell to 76 from 92, he said.
Also in the service sector, the number of furloughed workers in the transportation and warehousing industry and the lodging and food/beverage industry stayed stable, unchanged at one and three respectively as of Thursday amid strong domestic spending in the post-COVID-19 era, the ministry said.
The number of furloughed workers in the support service industry, which is comprised of travel agencies, hit 38 as of Thursday, up only one from Jan. 31, it said.
Huang said the number of workers on unpaid leave has fallen from the peak seen in September last year, and that such a trend is likely to continue as the economy improves.
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