Organization, Management, and Wage Practices in Pakistan’s Electrical Fan and Readymade Garment Sectors

Abstract

The electrical fan sector in Pakistan has existed since at least the country’s independence and produced for the domestic market for most of its history, although the sector has had strong export growth in the last 15 years. On the other hand, the readymade garment sector has a shorter history, but has been export-oriented from the beginning. The fan sector has retained the traditional batch production system while garments are produced along a line. Nonetheless, both rely on piece rate-based wages to meet their production targets. In this paper, we describe production, management, wage practices, quality, and some barriers to reorganization in these sectors.