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 405,000 workers -of which 68.2 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
117,337,368 (2023)
Gross Domestic Product
GDP per Capita (constant USD, thousand)
$3,528 (2022)
Human Development Index Ranking
HDI Rank (out of 191 countries)
113 (2022)
Garment/Textile Workers
Number of workers in the garment/textile sector
406,000 (2021)
Women Workers in the Garment/Textile Industry
Percentage of women workers employed in the garment/textile industry
68.2% (2023)
Garment/Textile Industry Exports
(USD$ billion)
USD 1.05 billion (2021)
Garment/Textile Industry Size
Percentage of total exports
1.41% (2021)
Minimum Wage
Monthly minimum wage in USD
USD 140 - USD 286 (2024)
Key Garment/Textile Export Markets
Top five countries ($USD value exported and subsequent percentage)
| Country | Percentage of Exports |
|---|---|
| United States | 49.44% |
| Japan | 12.35% |
| China | 6.83% |
| South Korea | 5.78% |
| United Kingdom | 3.27% |
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
- Population: https://population.un.org/dataportal/data/indicators/49/locations/586,50,116,608,764,144,704/start/2023/end/2023/table
- GDP Per Capita: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.KD?locations=PH
- HDI: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/PHL
- Garment / Textile Workers: Labour force statistics (LFS) ILOSTAT Employment by sex and economic activity – ISIC level 2 (thousands) https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/#
- Women Workers in the Garment /Textile Industry: https://www.ilo.org/infostories/en-GB/Stories/discrimination/garment-gender#the-global-garment-industry-a-bird%E2%80%99s-eye-view-(1)
- Garment/Textile Industry Exports: https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PHL/Year/2021/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/all/Product/50-63_TextCloth
- Garment / Textile Industry Size: https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PHL/Year/2021/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/all/Product/50-63_TextCloth
- Minimum Wage: https://wageindicator.org/salary/minimum-wage/philippines (the lowest daily minimum wage is PHP300.00 (USD 5.41) and the highest daily minimum wage is PHP610.00 (USD 11.01) (2024))
- Key Garment / Textile Export Markets (2021): https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/PHL/Year/2021/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/all/Product/50-63_TextCloth
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