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The number of the first-time applicants for unemployment benefit fell greatly in May to the same level as before the financial meltdown took place in late 2008, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) said Sunday.
The CLA’s Bureau of Labor Insurance said the number of first-time applicants for the benefit averaged between 5,000 and 7,000 per month before the financial crisis, and surpassed 10,000 in October 2008 before peaking at 35,000 — a historic high — in February 2009.
The bureau said that for the whole of 2009, there were 217,000 applicants, who received a combined NT$20.82 billion (US$670 million) in unemployment subsidies — both the highest figures on record.
The number of first-time applicants fell to below 10,000 in October 2009, and dropped further to 6,800 in May this year, according to the bureau.
The bureau said that the number of first-time applicants is one of the indicators of the economic climate and that falling figures represent increased job opportunities following an economic recovery.
It ruled out the possibility that the number of applicants will go up again when new university graduates enter the job market in June, as they are not qualified to apply for unemployment benefit.
Under related regulations, qualified applicants are limited to workers covered by the labor insurance program for over a year and who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
Approved applicants are entitled to up to nine months of benefit, which is calculated at 60 per cent of their insured salaries.
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