Textiles, apparel, leather and related products

The sector is characterized by geographically dispersed production and dynamic market-driven transformations. It contributes significantly to economic and social development and provides employment opportunities to millions of workers worldwide, especially young women.

The future of work in textiles, clothing, leather and footwear is increasingly uncertain. The tragedy of the Rana Plaza collapse brought worldwide attention to the urgent need to improve workplace safety and working conditions in line with the ILO Code of practice on safety and health in textiles, clothing, leather and footwear. A just transition is key to advancing sustainability, circularity and decent work in the sector.

Key resources

Safety and health in textiles, clothing, leather and footwear

Toolkit for the promotion of Social Justice and Decent Work in the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear sectors

The line graphs show a time series of modelled global and regional employment estimates at the sectoral level. The ILO modelled estimates generally cover 189 countries, offering a comprehensive set of internationally comparable labour statistics. These include both reported data and imputed figures for countries with missing information. The imputations are generated using econometric models developed by the ILO.

For more detailed labour market indicators and country-level data, visit the Sectoral Employment Statistics page of the ILOSTAT database.

The line graphs show a time series of modelled global and regional employment estimates at the sectoral level. The ILO modelled estimates generally cover 189 countries, offering a comprehensive set of internationally comparable labour statistics. These include both reported data and imputed figures for countries with missing information. The imputations are generated using econometric models developed by the ILO.

For more detailed labour market indicators and country-level data, visit the Sectoral Employment Statistics page of the ILOSTAT database.

Programmes and projects

The ILO promotes Decent Work in the textiles, apparel, leather and footwear sectors in the following regions and countries. To learn more, please click on the relevant button.