Focus Taiwan
Date: 06/08/2020
By: Chang Hsiung-feng and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, June 8 (CNA) The number of furloughed employees in Taiwan rose by more than 2,000 over the last seven days, bringing the total to over 28,000, as the world's largest footwear contractor, Taichung-based Pou Chen Corp., is believed to contribute to the increase, according to statistics released Monday by the Ministry of Labor (MOL).

As of June 7, 1,263 companies had unpaid leave programs, while a total of 28,345 workers had agreed to go on furlough, up by 2,022 in terms of workers but down 67 companies from the previous week's figures.

Pou Chen announced in mid-May that it planned to furlough workers from June until the end of this year, including 2,600 at its Changhua plant.

By industry, the manufacturing sector had 13,735 workers on furlough over the past week, the highest of any industry, including 4,597 workers in the chemical manufacturing sector, according to the ministry.    [FULL  STORY]