ACICAM reports that footwear manufacturers in Colombia ended 2022 with a production volume of 50 million pairs of shoes, growing by 20.4% year-on-year between January and October. Exports were also up in the first 10 months of the year by 40.3% to reach US$34.1 million.
William Parrado, Director of Economic Research at ACICAM, said that cost increases and inflation are expected to slow down production. He added: “On top of this, there is a labour problem, as qualified personnel are not readily available.”
The Colombian footwear industry currently employs around 83,000 people, a figure which totals 125,000 when including leather and leather goods, but the shortage is estimated at around 30,000.
Source: World Footwear
