More and more people in Taiwan are returning to their normal work schedules. That's according to new statistics from the labor ministry, released on Monday.
During the past few months, government restrictions to control COVID-19 have forced many people to take unpaid leave from work.
Taiwan's labor ministry says there are still over 55,000 people on unpaid leave. However, that's a drop of almost 1,400 from two weeks ago.
The labor ministry says that the number is decreasing because people in the hospitality and food service industries are returning to work. The ministry says that this is a positive trend that should continue as businesses gradually return to normal operation.
Labor ministry official Huang Wei-chen says that there has definitely been a noticeable shift in consumer spending. He says he has seen markets, business centers, and malls start to fill up with people again. Huang says that these crowds will lead to an increase in sales.
However, the number of companies and employees on furlough in the tourism industry continues to increase. Huang says this is because there are still many restrictions on transportation, especially when traveling outside of Taiwan. Still, he says that even these industries should start to see more business by the end of August.