The number of furloughed workers in Taiwan increased slightly last week even though two companies ended their furlough programs, bringing about 500 workers back to work, reports Focus Taiwan, citing data from  the Ministry of Labour. As of 23 October, 655 companies had implemented unpaid leave programs, up 31 from a week ago, with a total of 13,184 workers on furlough, up 126 from a week earlier. Huang Wei-chen, deputy director of the Ministry of Labour’s Department of Labour Standards and Equal Employment, said the number of furloughed workers has been on the decline for four consecutive months, falling from about 30,000 in June to 25,000 in July, 20,000 in August and 17,000 in September and is expected to continue to fall as economic activity picks up. The unpaid leave programs typically last for fewer than three months and involve employees taking five to eight days of unpaid leave per month, according to the ministry, as companies try to get through disruptions to their businesses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.