The impact of COVID-19 on the global garment industry

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a significant impact on global garment supply chains. Global brands and retailers are canceling orders from their supplier factories and many governments are imposing restrictions on travel and gatherings. As a result, many garment factories are suspending production and either firing or temporarily suspending their workers. Current data suggests that over a million workers have already been fired or temporarily suspended from work and the numbers will continue to increase.

The impact on garment workers is devastating. Those who continue to work in factories are at significant risk as social distancing is impossible during their work day and employers may not be implementing appropriate healthy and safety measures. Those who fall sick may not have insurance or sick pay coverage and will struggle to access services in sourcing countries where medical infrastructure and public health systems were already weak even before the pandemic. And for those who lose their jobs, they are facing months without pay to support themselves and their families, have few or no savings to fall back on and extremely limited options for generating income. While some governments are implementing schemes to support workers, these initiatives are not consistent and are inadequate in many cases.