The COVID-19 pandemic has overturned the everyday lives of office workers. A recent job bank survey found that over half of respondents are worried about their job security. Department store sales staff are the ones who the most worried, followed by workers in the manufacturing industry.


Lulu is 28 years old, and works as a mid-level manager at a trading company in China. The COVID-19 outbreak prevented him from returning to China to work, so he asked his boss if he could work from home and received his consent. He has encountered difficulties, often feeling alone.

There is something negative that I have experienced while telecommuting, which is that the interaction with colleagues is a lot less. Overall, our company will hold a videoconference once or twice a week, which creates more opportunity to interact with colleagues.

Meanwhile, Ruby returned to Taiwan from the United Kingdom at the end of 2019. She began working as a tour group leader. However, after the epidemic situation began expanding, there were no more groups for her to lead. She recently found a part-time position taking temperatures at a clinic for women and children.

I would be earning at least NT$50,000 right now if I were regularly leading tour groups on Asian tours. Right now, I'm only earning NT$20,000 to NT$30,000.

The number of people placed on unpaid leave as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak currently stands at 8,739, the highest level in the past eight years. A job bank survey has found that 52.6 percent of office workers are worried about their job security. As for other concerns, 23.9 percent responded unknown future prospects, 21.8 percent said poor company performance, and 17.1 percent answered shift reductions, while 8.8 percent said unpaid leave. A further cross-analysis by industry showed that department store sales staff are the ones who have the most concerns about job security. They are followed by workers in traditional industries.

Many small and medium enterprises don't need to report to the government, because companies with five, seven employees aren't normally the target of labor inspections. We estimate that there are over 20,000 people on unpaid leave that have not been reported.

The epidemic has caused a surge of interest in video interviews, with 83 percent of office workers willing to give it a try. Moreover, 89 percent believe it will be helpful with their employment prospects. A job bank says video interviews not only reduce the fatigue produced by travel, but also physical contact. They are also conducted in real time and convenient, and may here to stay.



今年28歲的LULU原本是東莞貿易公司的中階主管，因為武漢肺炎疫情影響，無法回到中國上班的她，向老闆提出在家工作也獲得同意，但卻得面臨無人支援單打獨鬥的辛苦。

在家工作者 LULU表示：「在家辦公，有一個我自己感受比較大，就是跟同事之間的互動，會比較少。所以基本上我們公司，是每個禮拜，會有1到2次視訊會議，就等於跟同事，有更多的互動。」

而這位去年底才從英國返台的Ruby，原本進入旅遊業擔任領隊，卻遇上疫情擴散，沒有旅遊團可接的她現在找到婦幼診所協助量體溫的兼職工作。

婦幼診所兼職助理 RUBY表示：「如果有固定帶團，我現在是亞洲線的話，至少可以5萬以上，但現在大概兩、三萬。」

武漢肺炎影響，國內無薪假人數已經來到8739人，是近八年新高，人力銀行調查就發現有52.6%的上班族因疫情蔓延擔心工作不保，主要的原因包括產業前景不明23.9%，公司營運不佳21.8%，減少排班17.1%，還有8.8%的上班族已經在放無薪假。進一步從產業別交叉分析，發現百貨販售業的從業人員擔心工作不保比例最高，再來是傳產業。

人力銀行發言人 何啟聖表示：「很多中、小企業不太需要，去跟政府去做報備，因為一般的勞檢，都勞檢不到這種，5個人、7個人這樣一個公司，所以其實就(無薪假)黑數而言的話，我們初估，應該放無薪假的人數，超過2萬人。」

此外，疫情也意外掀起遠距面試熱潮，有 83% 的上班族都躍躍欲試，更有 89% 的人認為對求職過程有幫助，人力銀行表示，遠距面試不僅可減少舟車勞頓與人際接觸風險，又具備即時、便利特性，將成為企業徵才趨勢。