Job Losses

Gremipe, the micro and small business association, warns that about 30,000 microenterprises have shut down nationwide so far this year, costing roughly 80,000 jobs, with power outages and rising production costs blamed for the closures.

The Footwear Industry Association says more than 300 workshops have closed in three years and 2,000 workers lost jobs as cheap Chinese imports, rising production costs, and higher fuel and electricity prices undermine local manufacturers' competitiveness.