The number of furloughed workers over the past seven days fell by more than 7,000, the largest decline since the nation in January reported its first COVID-19 case, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
As of Monday, 734 companies had placed 19,458 workers on unpaid leave, down 7,627 from a week earlier, ministry data showed.
The decline was the largest for any reporting period since the outbreak began in Taiwan, Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Deputy Director Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛) said.
Most of the decline during the past week came in the manufacturing and retail and wholesale sectors, helped by the resumption of industrial activity in other countries, Huang said.
The number of furloughed workers also fell in the tourism and travel sector, as domestic tourism remained strong during the peak summer travel season.
Among the companies that still had furlough programs as of yesterday, 282 were manufacturers, 220 were retailers or wholesalers, and 47 were in the service sector, the data showed.
The majority of employees on unpaid leave were in the manufacturing sector at 13,577, followed by retail and wholesale with 3,588, and transportation and warehousing at 591, the data showed.
Most of the businesses implementing furlough programs are small companies with fewer than 50 employees, the ministry said, adding that these unpaid leave programs typically last for fewer than three months and involve employees taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month.
The ministry updates furloughed worker data weekly. The numbers only include unpaid leave plans put in place by companies that report to the ministry.
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