[ad_1]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 22) – With the sharp drop in global exports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least 600,000 workers in the Philippine garment industry are at risk of losing their jobs, a United Nations agency said.
“The # COVID19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the Philippine garment industry, reducing exports by almost 40% to major buying countries and putting the livelihoods and jobs of more than 600,000 workers at risk,” he said the International Labor Organization (ILO) on its Facebook page in reference to the study published on Wednesday.
The study assessed the impact of the pandemic on ten of the major apparel producing nations in Asia and the Pacific.
“The largest percentage declines in exports were seen in China, India, the Philippines and Sri Lanka,” he said.
In the first half, falling consumer demand and closures led to widespread factory closures, both temporary and permanent, and massive layoffs of workers in the region, the ILO said.
“Among those still employed in the second quarter of 2020, declines in earnings and delays in paying wages were also common,” the report reads.
While several factories switched to mask production, the ILO said the increase in mask exports has not yet offset the decline in clothing orders.
“The depth of those declines and the speed and shape of the eventual recovery in the sector will likely not be (fully) visible until 2021 or 2022,” he added.
Given the magnitude of the economic disruption, the organization called on national governments to continue to provide help so that businesses can survive the pandemic, for example through emergency relief funds, credit and short-term loans.
Around 65 million people in Asia Pacific are employed in the garment sector, representing 75 percent of all garment workers worldwide, according to the study.
[ad_2]
