Garment job cuts expected

Prospects for the sector are dim.

THOUSANDS of garment workers in Cambodia could be laid off in coming months if global markets, particularly the United States, continue to fall into deepening economic crisis, labour leaders and garment industry officials said Monday.

Chuon Momthol, president of the Cambodian Union Federation (CUF), a government-aligned union, said as many as 35 garment factories could be shuttered in November or December if dire international market conditions to not improve.

“So far, at least 20,000 workers have been laid off,” he said, adding that the 35 factories facing closure employ between 1,000 and 5,000 workers each.

That is roughly 105,000 garment jobs likely to vanish in the next 45 days — or about one third of all garment sector jobs. That would be in line with recent cuts in construction, which recently shed about 30 percent of its work force. It’s a good thing Cambodians don’t celebrate Christmas.