Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The International Labor Organization (ILO) published the results of a study, which notes that the consequences of the pandemic have seriously hit the garment industry in the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and left many workers in this sector unemployed.

The main conclusions of the report allow us to highlight the following points.

1. In the first half of this year, Asia-Pacific apparel exports fell 70% as a result of a sharp decline in consumer demand, isolation measures and disruptions in imports of raw materials needed to make apparel. Due to a disruption in the supply of imported raw materials, about 60% of manufacturers canceled orders from buyers. In general, the decline in exports due to large importers - the United States, the EU and Japan - is US$17.5 billion. Imports of clothing to the United States decreased by 26% from January to June of this year, compared to the same period in 2019. A similar decline can be seen on the part of the EU and Japan - 25% and 17%, respectively.

2. Despite active measures in the fight against the pandemic, the top 10 apparel manufacturing countries in the region - Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines - temporarily or temporarily indefinitely, about 1 thousand enterprises were closed. Many factories are already reopening, but with a limited number of employees.

3. It is noted that due to the fall in retail sales of clothing, millions of workers lost their jobs and income. The number of layoffs of workers has sharply increased. Those who returned to work in the second quarter of this year faced declining wages and delays in paying them. Women are the hardest hit as they make up the majority of light industry workers. According to the report, in 2019 in the APR region there were about 65 million workers in the garment industry, which, in turn, makes up 75% of all workers in the world in this area.

In general, against the backdrop of the negative consequences of the crisis, the garment industry in Asia has been seriously affected. In this regard, the organization’s experts urge the authorities of the countries of the region to support such enterprises, implement a strategy focused on protecting the rights of seamstresses and other factory workers, and also introduce advanced production technologies during the recovery of the industry.