The introduction of COVID-19 regulations has seen the number of Taiwanese workers on unpaid leave surge. With no date yet set for a full reopening of the economy, the labor ministry has come up with a strategy to help tide over workers on unpaid leave who need some cash.
Twenty-one thousand one-hundred thirty-three. That’s the number of Taiwanese workers who have been put on unpaid leave according to the labor ministry’s most recent survey. It’s a number the likes of which Taiwan hasn’t seen since the 2008 financial crisis.
COVID-related shutdowns of businesses like restaurants are largely to blame. And with those restrictions only gradually set to lift, the labor ministry has decided to offer subsidies of NT$10,000 to help eligible workers out.
To be eligible for the payment, workers must have employment insurance coverage for a monthly salary of between NT$24,000 and NT$34,800. They can receive the subsidy if their May or June paycheck, their pay around the time when the COVID outbreak began in Taiwan, dropped by more than 20% from their April paycheck.