The International Labour Organization (ILO) identified the Philippine garment industry as among those severely affected by COVID-19 pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region.
In a new research titled “How COVID-19 is affecting garment workers and factories in Asia and the Pacific, ‘ILO said the total combined imports to the United States, Europe and Japan from ten major apparel and footwear producing countries in Asia also fell significantly between January and June 2020, when compared to the same period in 2019.
It added that the largest percentage decreases in exports were observed in China, India, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.
The research said delayed or inadequate payments to apparel workers—both employed workers and those on furlough or unemployed—have led to protests in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines among others. COVID-19 crisis has hit the garment sector in the Asia-Pacific region hard, with plummeting retail sales in key export markets affecting workers and enterprises throughout supply chains.
The report said major buying countries’ imports from garment-exporting countries in Asia dropped by up to 70 percent in the first half of 2020, due to collapsing consumer demand, government lockdown measures, and disruptions to raw material imports necessary for garment production.
