The number of workers on formal furlough programs in Taiwan fell to the lowest level in three years as the export-oriented manufacturing sector showed signs of improving while the global economy recovers, data released by the Ministry of Labor showed.
The number of furloughed workers fell by 1,314 from the end of last month to 4,890 as of Wednesday, while the number of employers which had unpaid leave programs in place also dropped to 250, down 19 from April 30, data showed.
The ministry said that the number of furloughed workers was the lowest since June 1, 2021, when 4,125 employees in formal furlough programs were reported to the ministry.
Photo: CNA
Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛), director of the ministry’s Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, said that the manufacturing sector reported the steepest cut in furloughed workers of any sector over the past 15 days, falling by 1,322 to 4,446 as of Wednesday.
The number of manufacturers that had unpaid leave programs in place also fell to 176 as of Wednesday from 192 as of April 30, the ministry’s data showed.
In the metal and electric machinery sector, a bicycle manufacturer saw orders stabilize and reinstated full-time hours for about 200 workers, while a machine tool component supplier terminated its unpaid leave program, also citing an increase in orders, Huang said.
A rubber product supplier with more than 700 employees temporarily ended its furlough program but might reinstate it, although it still has to finalize the number of workers involved, the ministry said.
The consumption-oriented services sector remained stable due to solid private consumption, with the number of furloughed workers in the wholesale and retail sector falling to 354 from 371 over the 15-day period, the ministry said.
The ministry updates its furloughed worker data on the 1st and 16th of every month and reports on the number of employees placed on furloughs registered by companies with the ministry.
Most of the enterprises implementing furlough programs are small companies that employ fewer than 50 people.
Unpaid leave programs typically last for less than three months, with employees taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month, the ministry said.
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