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Article: Migrant labour underpins industry: Mauritius' booming textiles industry is having to depend more and more heavily on imported labour, mostly from India and China. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port Louis.(Mauritius)
- Article from:
- African Business
- Article date:
- October 1, 2004
- Author:
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Foreign workers in Mauritius now number some 22,000, among whom 10,850 are Chinese, 7,310 are Indians and 720 are from Madagascar. These are the men and women who make machines work in the textile industry in Mauritius. Without them, many factories would be unable to manufacture the required quantity of garments and clothing to supply European and American buyers on time.
Foreign labour was first brought to the island in 1989 at a time when Mauritians had plenty of jobs. The alien workers were only a few hundred, recruited by a few factories having difficulties in attracting local people. Since then, they have been coming in their thousands, attracted by the ...