Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen says that the number of Taiwanese workers on unpaid leave remains low.
At the legislature on Friday, Chen said that the recent economic downturn has seen more than 800 workers put on unpaid leave. However, Chen said that the problem of workers facing unpaid leave is less serious than it was in previous years.
Chen said that in 2011, more than 10,000 workers were temporarily suspended. Further back, in 2008, that number was above 20,000.
Economics Minister John Deng has also responded to the issue of workers being placed on leave without pay. Deng says that the economics ministry will provide assistance to companies that move to put employees on unpaid leave.