COVID-19: Impact and challenges of digital wage payment in the global garment industry

Millions of garment workers and their families are severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in countries where social protection systems are underdeveloped.

Around the world, several governments are leading by example by implementing policy and regulatory changes that encourage the transition to digital payments in order to minimize human interactions and limit the propagation of the virus. Such measures have enabled the garment industry to continue to pay wages and the governments to provide emergency support to the garment workers in a safe, efficient, and responsible manner.

The webinar “COVID-19: Impact and challenges of digital wage payment in the global garment industry”, which took place on 15 July 2020, aimed to discuss some of the challenges and good practices linked to the adoption of wage payments in the garment sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This webinar was the first in the Global Learning Exchange Series on Digital Wage Payments hosted by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the IFC/ILO Better Work Programme, and the UN-based Better Than Cash Alliance. The main objectives of the Learning Series are to bring stakeholders together, share learnings and catalyse action to promote responsible digital wage payments in the context of ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.