COVID-19 Leather Sector Tamil Nadu

This study is focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent nationwide lockdowns on workers employed in India’s leather production and footwear manufacturing industry, specifically in the Vellore region of Tamil Nadu.

The Covid-19 crisis and the nationwide lockdown have had a devastating impact on the vast majority of workers in the leather production and footwear manufacturing industry. More than half of all workers interviewed for this study reported that they had not earned any income during the period of intense lockdown. Almost all respondents reported a reduction in their household income.

The study also pointed to a stark gender pay gap in the leather and footwear industry in the prelockdown period.

Fifty leather workers were interviewed in August/September 2020 for the purpose of this study in the Vellore district in Tamil Nadu. This report is published by Cividep India with support of INKOTA-netzwerk, Society for Labour and Development and SÜDWIND.

Further information:

Policy Brief: Shoe and Leather workers during Covid-19 Recession

Study: Impact of the Covid-19 Recession

Supported by Engagement Global on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The publishers alone are responsible for the content of this publication; the positions presented here do not reflect the position of the sponsor.