25 January 2004	Sunday	02 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Jan 24: Though the textile sector offered many opportunities and openings for job seekers during the last four years (1999-2003), these were still far less than the demand.

A huge investment to the tune of $4 billion or Rs200 billion (at an average exchange rate of Rs50 to a dollar) was made in textile industry during this period, thereby, inducting modern technologies and machinery. This gave a fresh impetus to the export sector but could not fill the ever widening gap between job seekers and employment opportunities.

Being the largest industrial sector of the country, the textile created around 250,000 to 300,000 new jobs under its Balancing, Modernization and Replacement (BMR) drive. It also undertook some expansion during this period. In some cases modernization shrank jobs opportunities. In many instances, however, it led to creation of new job avenues.

A modern textile unit having a latest state-of-the-art equipment may have lesser number of directly employed workers, but its high-tech, which ensures higher production and quality products of world class, also unfolds new vistas for job seekers. In a way jobs lost to new technologies are compensated by higher production of quality goods.

There are all together different standards needed for producing quality goods and have much wider economic impact than the conventional method of production. Textile Commissioner Idrees Ahmed was of the opinion that new investment in textile industry also helped in generating new jobs in engineering industry. A huge demand for allied equipments required by the industry was also created resulting in large scale fabrication of these equipments.

The textile sector being the largest employer, after the agriculture sector, has a share of 38 per cent in employment market of skilled and unskilled workforce. It has 31 per cent share in total investment of the country. Its share in exports stands at 67 per cent or $7.5 billion and contributes up to 46 per cent in total manufacturing and 11 per cent in total GDP.

On providing 0.3 million additional jobs during the last four years the textile industry is presently a source of direct employment to well over 2.3 million and could be a source of livelihood to millions of other people who are indirectly involved in country's one of the largest industrial and economic activity.

However, it is being strongly advocated by experts that the solution to unemployment lies in going into value-addition on a large scale. This will not only help fight unemployment in the country, but will also generate more foreign exchange on fetching higher per unit price in the world market.

It is also being argued that if the country has to progress and achieve higher economic growth it will have to contain population growth that stands at 2.6 per cent - considered to be still one of the highest in the world. Therefore, repeated government's claims of achieving a 5.3-per cent growth target by the close of the current fiscal are not going to provide more jobs and better life to the people. It will only assist economic planners in presenting better performance figures to the donor agencies.

Even today shuttle looms (weaving) are the highest employers in the textile sector as they employ over 0.675 million, followed by garment industry employing 0.4 million and knitting industry (organized and un-organized sector) 0.350 million. The knitting and garment industries also provide job opportunities to lady workers.

At present 9.70m installed spindles are providing jobs to well over 0.342m people, whereas 100,000 workers are engaged in madeups (looms). Weaving industry (shuttleless looms) is providing jobs to 75,500 workers and towel (looms) industry to around 27,750. Finishing and processing industry that is considered to be the weakest link in the textile industry, is a source of livelihood to 35,000 workers only.