Interwoven: How the Better Work Program Improves Job and Life Quality in the Apparel Sector
Summary — This World Bank report analyzes how the Better Work program improves working conditions and life quality for garment workers, particularly women, in developing countries. The study shows positive impacts on factory conditions, worker empowerment, and business performance.
Key Findings
- Better Work program helped improve working conditions for more than 1 million workers in over 1,000 factories across eight countries by 2014.
- Correlation found between better working conditions and improved business performance, including reduced turnover and stronger profits.
- Workers reported significant spillover effects beyond factories, including improved communication skills and better family decision-making.
- A 10 percent reduction in staff turnover could save 8.5 percent of total annual wage costs for factories.
- Women workers particularly benefited from reduced gender discrimination and increased empowerment both at work and at home.
Full Description
This comprehensive World Bank report examines the Better Work program, an IFC-ILO-industry partnership launched in 2001 to improve working conditions in the global apparel sector. The program has helped over 1 million workers in more than 1,000 factories across eight countries by training local monitors to conduct inspections and bring factories into compliance with national laws and international standards.
The study provides both qualitative and quantitative evidence showing correlations between better working conditions and improved business performance, including reduced turnover and stronger bottom lines. Workers reported significant spillover effects beyond factory walls, with improved communication skills, reduced gender discrimination, and better family decision-making processes.
The report analyzes data from multiple countries including Cambodia, Vietnam, and Lesotho, examining how the program addresses the jobs crisis facing over a billion people of working age. It demonstrates that while the garment industry provides vital employment opportunities, particularly for women transitioning from agriculture, it has historically been associated with poor working conditions, low wages, and safety risks.
The findings suggest that creating 'good jobs' through programs like Better Work can simultaneously benefit workers, businesses, and broader communities, contributing to poverty reduction and gender equality while maintaining industrial competitiveness.