As the era of global textile quotas comes to an end, the garment industry in Central America is seeing more manufacturing work heading to other parts of the world, particularly to China. In 2004, employment in the garment industry in El Salvador declined for the first time in a decade with jobs lost estimated at 6,000 or more. Some factory owners are counting on the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement for their survival. The agreement gives Central American exports permanent duty free access to the U.S. market.
See "Fraying of a Latin Textile Industry", Ginger Thompson, The New York Times, March 24, 2005