Categories: Blog Central, Econowatch

That cheap manufacturing labour: a portrait gallery

by Brendan Brady on Wednesday, November 23, 2011 11:48am - 0 Comments
  • With Asia's big manufacturing centers facing rising wages and labour unrest, prospects for the industrial minnow Cambodia are growing. In the textiles sector, exports grew by as much as 40 per cent last year, by some estimates. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Despite recent bad press because of a spate of workers faintings, Cambodia's garment factory spaces are considered among the best in the developing world. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Already, some 400,000 Cambodians–mostly women–work in the garment and footwear industry. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Many workers are young, in their teens. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • They sew, stitch and mend long hours and, and on average, are able to save less than $10 at the end of the month. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Workers like the ones portrayed here are part of the enormous, anonymous workforce employed by suppliers of brand names such as the Gap and H&M. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • The industry average monthly salary is between $70 and $80. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Still, in the eyes of many Cambodians these jobs are better than the alternative because they come with a steady paycheck and a regulated work environment. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Factories like this one, which produces high-end clothing for buyers in Europe, are raising the bar. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • By Cambodian standards, the factory is highly mechanized, meaning the workers develop more sophisticated skill sets. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • The workers also earn higher wages–around $110 dollars, or about 50 per cent higher than the industry average here. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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  • Factory work in Cambodia remains tough. Slowly, though, things are starting to look up. (Photograph by Brendan Brady)

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