Tiruppur apparel units face a labor shortage as migrant workers who returned home to vote are reluctant to come back

Tiruppur, known as India's hub for knitwear production, is currently facing a labor shortage due to the absence of thousands of migrant workers who returned to their home states to participate in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. This situation is occurring just as export requests from the United States are beginning to show signs of improvement.

The Problem:

• Tiruppur, a major clothing manufacturing hub in India, is facing a lack of workers.
• This shortage is estimated to be around 100,000 to 150,000 people.
• The reason? Migrant workers, who typically come from states like Uttar Pradesh (where you are!), Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal, left for their hometowns to vote in recent elections and haven't returned.

Why They Aren't Coming Back:

• These workers might believe there are now better job opportunities back home due to government development projects.
• This is happening at a bad time for Tiruppur's garment factories.

The Bad Timing:

• There's a sign of recovery in the clothing export business, especially to the United States.
• Orders have increased by 10% in the last few months compared to the same period last year.
• Apparel factories need more workers to handle these new orders, but they're facing a shortage.

Impact and Efforts:

• This lack of workers could slow down production and hurt Tiruppur's ability to fulfill these export orders.
• The Tiruppur Exporters Association (TEA) is trying to address this by offering higher wages and organizing job drives to attract workers back.