The labor ministry on Tuesday announced an increase of 940 furloughed workers in Taiwan, bringing the total to 5,065. That’s the highest number of people placed on unpaid leave in the last five months.
The ministry said the increase comes mainly from a company that supplies inflight meals. It put 840 of its employees on furlough. There was also an increase of 222 persons in the hospitality and food industry.
Meanwhile, some sectors that have been most affected since the start of the pandemic have seen a decrease in employees on unpaid leave. This includes travel agencies, transportation and warehousing industries. The labor ministry said that the drop could have been due to relief programs sponsored by the transportation ministry.