TAIPEI: The number of workers in Taiwan on unpaid leave has fallen almost 74 percent since the beginning of the year, according to the Council of Labor Affairs on Monday, as companies took a more positive outlook on the economy.

The government body said in a statement that 36 companies had 3,433 workers on unpaid leave as of mid-April, compared to 109 companies and 13,034 workers at the end of December, when both the figures were at their highest.

The council did not elaborate further.

However in a sign that a full recovery for the exporters that drive the island's economy remains some way off, figures last week showed that Taiwan's exports contracted in March after a sharp rise in February.

Implementing unpaid leave was a common practice in Taiwan following the 2008 global financial crisis. The highest level of unpaid leave on record occurred in February 2009, when 586 manufacturers furloughed 239,000 workers.