《TAIPEI TIMES》 Furloughed worker numbers dive over one week: ministry

/ Staff writer, with CNA

The number of workers on formal furlough programs fell by more than 5,000 in one week as domestic demand recovered thanks to the government’s stimulus measures, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.

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The number of workers who agreed to take unpaid leave fell to 24,353 as of Sunday, a decline of 5,635 from the last report on Monday last week, data compiled by the ministry showed.

The number of companies implementing furlough programs fell by 332 from a week earlier to 2,884, the data showed.

Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment Director Huang Wei-chen （黃維琛） told reporters that the most recent economic stimulus measures and the Taipei International Travel Fair boosted domestic demand, helping food and beverage and lodging businesses.

The authorities issued Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers valued at NT$5,000, which were available from Oct. 8, while similar vouchers of different values were also offered by several government agencies.

The four-day travel fair, which ended yesterday, saw many hotels and restaurants offering discounts to boost the domestic tourism market, as Taiwan is maintaining border controls to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

An increase in domestic demand led the number of furloughed workers in the lodging and food and beverage sector to fall by 2,532 in one week to 7,657 as of Sunday, the ministry said.

The number of employers in the lodging, and food and beverage sector implementing unpaid leave programs fell from 511 to 389, the ministry said.

The number of furloughed workers in the support service industry, which includes travel agencies, fell from 8,383 to 7,855 in one week, but the number of companies with unpaid leave programs in place rose to 1,303 from 1,295, the ministry said.

In addition to the rebounding tourism industry, wholesale vendors and restaurant-related retail benefited from the increase in domestic demand, while the transportation industry also received a boost, Huang said.

The number of workers taking unpaid leave in the retail and wholesale sector fell from 3,880 to 2,286 in one week, while the number of furloughed workers in the transportation and warehousing sector dropped to 2,192 from 2,868.

Huang said a local airline had ended its unpaid leave program so that it would have about 300 employees in place to provide services in preparation for an increase in arrivals of migrant workers and returning Taiwanese ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday next year.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES