Focus Taiwan
Date: 08/03/2020
By: Chang Hsiung-feng and Ko Lin

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) The number of furloughed workers in Taiwan rose over the past week as activity in the manufacturing sector slowed due to the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Ministry of Labor (MOL).

As the end of July, 1,122 companies had unpaid leave programs, while a total of 27,058 workers had agreed to go on furlough, up 1,877 from a week earlier, data compiled by the MOL showed.

Among the companies that have furlough programs, 372 are manufacturers, 346 retailers or wholesalers, and 80 in the service sector, the data showed.

The majority of employees on unpaid leave were in the manufacturing sector at 17,508, followed by the retail and wholesale industry with 4,891, and the transportation and warehousing sector at 1,595.    [FULL  STORY]