The number of Taiwanese workers on unpaid leave has jumped by more than 6000 within the space of a week, approaching 15,000 on Thursday. That’s as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hit the economy.
This is the highest number of workers on unpaid leave since December 2011.
The largest number of affected workers—close to 5,000—work in the manufacturing sector. Over 4000 workers in the hospitality and food service sectors and over 2000 in the retail and wholesale sectors are also affected.