Agência Brasil
Rio de Janeiro – From January to April this year, the textile and garment industry has created 20,892 jobs, against 2,602 in the same period in 2003. During the whole of last year, the textile chain crated a total of 15,779 formal jobs. These figures were supplied by the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit) and were announced at Fashion Rio, the official fashion event of the southeastern state of Rio de Janeiro, at the Modern Art Museum.
To Abit president Paulo Skaf, these figures show how promising the beginning of the year was. According to him, the sector forecast is for generation of 31,000 jobs this year, but this figure may be greater. The fashion sector generates the second largest number of jobs in Brazil, losing only to civil construction.
Skaf revealed that Abit also intends to increase fabric and garment export this year by 20% and to increase the trade balance surplus to around 27%. The forecasted income with export up to the end of the year is around US$ 2 billion.
According to him, the forecast is based on the performance registered in 2003, when shipping revenues totalled US$1.65 billion, showing a 39% increase over 2002.
This result has elevated the sector trade balance surplus to US$ 595 million, the best in the last 11 years, stated Skaf.
