TRACKING CHANGES IN TEXTILE AND APPAREL: AMEMBASSY

UNCLAS BANGKOK 006994 SIPDIS STATE/EB/TPP/ABT EDWARD HEARTNEY COMMERCE/ITA/OTEXA MARIA D'ANDREA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD EAGR TH SUBJECT: TRACKING CHANGES IN TEXTILE AND APPAREL: AMEMBASSY BANGKOK RESPONSE REF: STATE 184238 ¶1. This report responds to information requests contained in reftel on "Tracking changes in textiles and apparel employment and production after quota elimination." ¶2. Total textile and apparel production in USD value: 14.34 billion USD (down 3% from 2002). ¶4. Share of textiles and apparel of total Thai exports: 2001 -- 8% 2002 -- 7.5% 2003 -- 6.8% 2004 (Jan to August) -- 6.6% ¶5. Total manufacturing employment in Thailand is estimated to be 1.1 million. ¶6. Total textile-related employment in Thailand is estimated to be 773,337. Textile employment is usually 70-80% of total manufacturing employment. ¶7. As one of the largest sources of manufacturing employment in Thailand, the textiles and apparel sector is important. There are reportedly 4570 textile and apparel factories in Thailand, most of which are SMEs. However, several big factories account for 80% of total production. While most factories are engaged in garment assembly, there are 8-10 large spinning mills relying on imported yarn. ¶8. The RTG collects information on an annual basis. ¶9. The RTG is generally able to collect accurate figures on formal sector employment. However, measuring informal sector employment -- where significant numbers of textiles and apparel workers may be found -- is a challenge. JOHNSON