Ethiopian factory workers who make clothes are on average the industry’s worst-paid in the world, according to a new report.
“The government’s eagerness to attract foreign investment led it to promote the lowest base wage in any garment-producing country – now set at the equivalent of $26 (£20) a month,” researchers for the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights found.
“On that amount… workers cannot afford decent housing, food or transportation.”
Meanwhile Chinese garment workers earn $340 a month, according to AP news agency, and those in Kenya earn monthly pay of $207.
Research focused on the Hawassa Industrial Park which employs 25,000 workers.
H&M, Gap, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger are among the brands whose items are produced there.
The report authors recommend the introduction of a minimum wage and diversifying into higher-value clothing and other manufactured goods. BBC News
