The number of workers on official furlough programs in Taiwan rose by more than 1,000 in the past week as more export-oriented manufacturers implemented unpaid leave programs amid weakening global demand, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) said Wednesday.

Data compiled by the MOL showed the number of workers placed on furlough programs rose to 16,850 as of Nov. 15, up 1,068 from 15,782 as of Nov. 7.

During the same period, the number of employers implementing unpaid leave programs also rose by 85 to 2,567, the MOL’s data showed.

According to the MOL, the number of furloughed workers in the manufacturing sector rose to 4,727, up by 757 from a week earlier, while the number of the manufacturers which had unpaid leave programs in place also rose to 246 from 218.

Speaking with CNA, Huang Wei-chen (黃維琛), director of the MOL’s Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, said the number of furloughed workers in the manufacturing sector has been on the rise in recent weeks and most of them worked for exporters.

In the past week, a machinery exporter placed more than 240 workers under a furlough program due to a decline in orders from its foreign clients, Huang said.

From Nov. 8-15, meanwhile, the number of workers placed on furlough programs in the wholesale and retail business rose to 1,462 from 1,315, while the number of furloughed workers in the lodging and food/beverage industry and in the transportation and warehousing industry also rose to 1,051 and 974, respectively, from 1,029 and 951, the MOL said.

The MOL updates its furloughed worker data on the 1st, 8th, 16th, and 24th of every month, reporting unpaid leave numbers for companies that have registered their furlough programs with the ministry.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel