Nearly 1,000 more workers furloughed in late August amid tariff impact

Taipei, Sept. 1 (CNA) Nearly 1,000 additional workers in Taiwan were placed on furlough in the second half of August, bringing the nationwide total to about 5,000 as of Monday, the Ministry of Labor said.

The numbers reflect a continued upward trend since April, when the Trump administration first began imposing tariffs on goods from Taiwan and around 100 other countries.

As of Monday, 4,863 workers from 245 companies were participating in the furlough program, up 929 workers and 54 companies from Aug. 18. By comparison, there were 1,682 workers from 110 companies in mid-April and 4,459 from 275 companies a year earlier, ministry data showed.

Huang Chi-ya (黃琦雅), head of the Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, said 62.8 percent of those affected -- 3,055 workers at 118 businesses -- were furloughed because of the U.S. tariffs.

She said the increase was driven largely by the manufacturing sector, which accounted for 92 percent of all furloughed workers, or 4,479 employees at 191 firms. Among them, 3,685 workers from 156 companies were in the metalworking and electromechanical industries.

Huang noted that two medium-sized mechanical equipment manufacturers were among the hardest hit, with each forced to furlough more than 100 employees due to a sharp drop in orders. Neither company had previously applied for the furlough program, she added.