The number of workers in Taiwan on unpaid leave rose 7.9% in the last two weeks of 2015. That’s according to the latest figures, which the labor ministry released on Monday.
As of the end of December, 57 companies had put a total of 4,756 people on unpaid leave. While it’s a sharp increase from mid-December, it’s only a slight increase from the previous December. Year-on-year, the number of people on unpaid leave has increased by 379.
The labor ministry said that 26 of the businesses in question are in the non-electronics manufacturing sector. Most of the 57 companies have fewer than 50 employees on unpaid leave, usually for between four and eight days per month.
The labor ministry says it will allocate NT$20 billion (over US$600 million) from an employment stability fund to offer technical training to workers who are on unpaid leave.