Browse Honduras Daily Stories

A World Bank report warns that artificial intelligence could gradually automate physical manufacturing tasks in Honduras's garment industry, which employs about 140,000 workers directly, making workforce retraining and technical skills crucial to protect jobs.

Following passage of the Energy Justice Law, approximately 10 companies are planning new investments in Honduras, including a $400 million light manufacturing project in Choloma, with officials citing energy-sector reforms as a key enabler for business confidence.

The maquila industry generates about 130,000 jobs, contributes 45–50% of Honduras's gross exports, and projects $5.5 billion in shipments for 2026, though sector leaders say stronger investment climate and security are needed to sustain growth.

José Castañeda, president of Honduras's small and medium enterprise federation, argues that weak domestic production and outdated economic policies—not Chinese immigrants—are the real obstacles to Honduran competitiveness, as Congress investigates the entry of approximately 13,000 Asian citizens since 2022.

Honduras's maquiladora sector lost roughly 40,000 jobs in 2025 as companies closed and relocated, even as the government announces a potential 4,000-job textile plant and says a US tariff on Honduran goods is straining competitiveness.

Honduras's manufacturing industry grew 1.5% in the first quarter of 2026, reversing a 3.0% contraction in the prior quarter, driven by increased demand for food and beverages including processed coffee, fish, oils, flour, and bakery products.

Honduras's manufacturing sector grew, driven by food production—coffee, meat, and fish processing—and construction materials including cement, concrete, and steel reinforcing bar, the Central Bank reported.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Cortés warned that international companies have suspended investment plans in Honduras pending the outcome of U.S. tariff negotiations, citing concern that a 10% tariff and potential further restrictions could push capital to competing Central American countries and hurt the manufacturing and job sectors.