Garment factory workers in Sri Lanka’s six Free Trade Zones are producing more apparel than previous years, despite significant factory closures in those areas–down to 314 factories at the beginning of 2013, from 500 in 2005.
Though apparel exports from Sri Lanka are expected to remain flat in 2013, the sector’s recent growth is good news for Sri Lanka, which was stagnant between 2006 and 2010, according to report presented by the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZGSEU).
The FTZGSEU report credited multi-tasking factory workers with the rise is apparel exports. Workers were formerly able to perform only one operation, but now–possibly because of the massive closures–are able to perform several.