Muhammad Hendartyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian Fiber and Filament Producers Association (APSyFI) said that the number of workers in the textile and textile products (TPT) industry is currently down 50 percent compared to last year. In 2019, the Central Statistics Agency recorded 4.5 million people as the textile industry workforce.

"As for the current workforce, I am sure that there are only half. There are still many companies putting their employees on leave or laying them off because of Covid-19," APSyFI secretary-general Redma Gita Wirawasta said in a virtual discussion, Wednesday, August 26, 2020.

Redma said that in order to rescue the industry, the government needs to issue a trade policy that is pro local industry, to help them win the domestic market.

In addition, it is necessary to improve performance at ports to avoid import practices that violate regulations. "We also need increased competitiveness to boost exports," he said.

In 2019, Redma said, the foreign exchange of textile industry exports was around USD 12 billion, down from 2018's USD 13 billion. Meanwhile, imports continue to increase from USD 4.5 billion in 2018 to more than USD 9 billion on Wednesday, August 26, 2020.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1379814/textile-workforce-down-50-as-covid-19-impacts-industry