Furloughed workers down for 1st time in latter half of 2025

Taipei, Nov. 3 (CNA) The number of workers on unpaid leave in Taiwan decreased for the first time in the second half of 2025 by 212 people, data released by the Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Monday showed.

A total of 8,331 workers were placed on formal furlough programs, compared to 8,543 announced on Oct. 16.

Meanwhile, the number of employers with furlough programs increased from 432 to 455, according to the MOL.

Huang Chi-ya (黃琦雅), head of the MOL's Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment, told a news conference that the decrease in furloughed workers resulted from 18 firms ending their furlough programs early because their orders rebounded.

Three of these firms, all in the machinery and equipment manufacturing industry, accounted for 563 workers returning to their original labor conditions.

In general, 372 firms in the manufacturing sector reported a total of 7,849 furloughed workers, accounting for about 95 percent of all the workers on paid leave, Huang said.

The metal electromechanical industry constituted the majority in the sector, with 293 firms and 6,019 furloughed workers, she added.

A total of 370 firms, with 7,575 furloughed workers in all, cited U.S. tariffs as the main reason for the furlough programs. This marked 16 more firms but 348 fewer workers from mid-October, as Huang noted that firms that shortened their furlough programs were mainly large companies.

She said that 418 of all 455 firms with furlough programs had fewer than 50 employees, while 17 firms had more than 100 employees.

The MOL said that 329 of the firms (72.3 percent) were eligible for employment stability measures, meaning that 6,782 of the workers (81.4 percent) can apply for wage subsidies.