Philippines

The Philippines │ Republika ng Pilipinas

The Philippines is one of the region’s ten major producers of garments, textiles and footwear, generating US$1 billion worth of exports annually.  Although the industry went into decline from the mid-1990s following the end of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement, it still comprises around 200 manufacturers, 240 traders and over 1,000 subcontractors, and employs over 490,000 workers -of which 69.4 per cent are women.  In 2020, the government rolled out a Garments and Textile Industry Roadmap aimed at spurring the industry’s resurgence as a competitive player in international markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted garment and textile exports, leading to business closures and job and income losses for workers. Moreover, despite the new Roadmap and other industry recovery plans enacted in recent years, the sector continues to face ongoing challenges related to international competitiveness and aligning industry policies and practices with wider international labour standards.

Population

Total

111,046,910 (2021)

Gross Domestic Product

GDP per Capita (constant USD, thousand)

3,412.6 (2021)

Human Development Index Ranking

HDI Rank (out of 191 countries)

116 (2021)

Garment/Textile Workers

Number of workers in the garment/textile sector

406,000 (2021)

Women Workers in the Garment/Textile Industry

Percentage of women workers employed in the garment/textile industry

71% (2021)

Number of Garment/Textile Factories

Number of factories in the garment/textile industry

N/A

Garment/Textile Industry Exports

(USD$ billion)

USD 1.14 billion (2021)

Garment/Textile Industry Size

Percentage of total exports

1.4% (2020)

Key Garment/Textile Export Markets

Top five countries ($USD value exported and subsequent percentage)

Country Percentage of Exports
United States 42.55%
Japan 12.19%
China 7.37%
South Korea 6.27%
Singapore 5.66%

Government Entities

Government agencies actively involved in the garment/textile industry

Department of Labour and Employment(DOLE)

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)

Board of Investments (BOI)

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)

Garments and Textile Export Board (GTEB)

Worker Organizations

Trade unions, Union federations, and other worker organizations

Trade Federation on Garments, Textile, Footwear, Plastic, Leather and Allied Industries (TF2-FFW)

IndustriALL Philippines

Partido Manggagawa

Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) - Center of United and Progressive Workers Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)

Associated Textile, Garments and Allied Workers Union (ALU-TEXTILE)

Employer/Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce

Employers and industry related associations, private sectors associations and chambers of commerce

Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)

Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc (PHILEXPORT)

Garment Business Association of the Philippines (GBAP)

Confederation of Garment Exporters of the Philippines (CONGEP)

Textile Mills Association of the Philippines (TMAP)

Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (FOBAP)

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP)

Philippine Economic Zone Locators Association (PHILEA)

People’s Technology Complex Locators Association, Inc. (PTCLAI)

Development Agencies/ International Organizations

National and international development organizations working within the garment/textile industry

­European Union

Civil Society Organizations/ Non-governmental Organizations

Organizations working within the garment/textile industry

HABI: The Philippine Textile Council

Balungis Women’s Association/Weaving Center

Sources of data provided

  1. Population: Population, total | Data (worldbank.org) 
  2. GDP Per Capita: GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) | Data (worldbank.org)
  3. HDI: Country Insights | Human Development Reports (undp.org)
  4. Garment / Textile Workers: Labour force statistics (LFS) ILOSTAT Employment by sex and economic activity – ISIC level 2 (thousands) https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/#
  5. Women Workers in the Garment /Textile Industry: Labour force statistics (LFS) ILOSTAT Employment by sex and economic activity – ISIC level 2 (thousands)  https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/# Female / Total
  6. Garment/Textile Industry Exports: Textile business of Philippine, Import and exports of Textile material in Philippines textile industries (textileinfomedia.com)
  7. Garment / Textile Industry Size: Philippines Product Exports and Imports 2020 | WITS Data (worldbank.org)
  8. Key Garment / Textile Export Markets: Philippines Textiles and Clothing Exports by country & region 2020 | WITS Data (worldbank.org)

    *Textiles and Clothing Exports in 2020 

News on Philippines


2 garments factories shut down, over 6,000 workers lose jobs

More than 6,000 workers lost their jobs with the closure of two apparel manufacturers in Cebu and Bataan, the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP) said Monday. CONWEP confirmed the closure of Mactan Apparels Inc., one of the three biggest garments and apparel manufacturing groups in the Philippines.

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Garment Workers in Asia Need ILO Convention 190

“Ijah, you know, right, if you take maternity leave, your contract will expire? So don’t even think of taking maternity leave,” said the factory supervisor one afternoon when Ijah was about to leave her line to rest.

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“What now Mr. President?” Dispatch #2 on the findings of ILO mission to the Philippines

"There is “very little policy and/or legislative action” taken to address labor rights violations including the killings of trade unionists, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Hi ...

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