"Asian garment industry braces for higher U.S. tariffs", 11 July 2025

Across Asia, unions and industry groups are raising alarms over the impact of higher tariffs by the United States on garment workers.

High tariffs might force companies to shut down or move to neighbouring countries that offer lower tariff rates, resulting in a loss of jobs, they say.

“The potential loss of jobs will cut the income and ability for workers to sustain their daily lives,” said Ath Thorn, vice president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, which represents 80,000 workers across 40 factories...

Unions and industry groups warn that these workers could be hit hard with job losses if the high tariffs force companies to move to countries under lower tariff rates or shut down altogether.

The fear is echoed by experts in Bangladesh, which faces a 35 percent tariff...

Potential layoffs within the garment industry will have an outsized effect on women workers, which Sophorn said would cripple entire families.

“If these women lose their jobs because high tariffs force factories to shut, it will not only impact Cambodia’s economy, but now children may not be able to go to school and aging parents may not be able to afford medicine,” Sophorn said.

“The situation for women garment workers is already bad, but it will get worse if these tariffs were to come into effect.”

Many of the women she represents have taken bank loans to support their families and work in the garment industry to pay off their debts...

Tariffs would directly affect a sizable chunk of the four million workers in Bangladeshi's garment industry, most of whom are women from low income and rural backgrounds, Raihan said...