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EPZ Employment Statistics

An analysis of the the data below reveals that Asia and Central America are the front runners in employment generation. Leaving China aside, Asia has some 13 million vs. 5 million in Central America (but it should be noted that more than 3 million work in bonded warehouses in Bangladesh throughout the country under EPZ-like conditions without being in a zone). Mexico in particular increased employment over the past years. Our tabulations put Mauritius and Madagascar in the India Ocean, but some place them in Africa. By and large, the EPZs in the Transition Economies of Central and Eastern Europe may not survive in their present form as most are now EU members. In addition, US zones in North America are more warehousing facilities for transshipment, and not for manufacturing. The large number of zones in the Caribbean - although important for the local economies - result in relatively little employment because of the small size of the islands. But the Caribbean employment could be added to that of Central America. Almost 1.5 million work in the EPZs of Africa. On the whole, according to the figures below, EPZs have not really taken off in South America.

Export processing zones
Geographical Area	Employment	Number of zones
Asia - of which China - of which bonded factories in Bangladesh	53,089,262 (40,000,000) (3,250,000)	900+
Central America & Mexico	4,988,459	155
Middle East	1,070,275	50
North Africa	643,152	65
Sub-Saharan Africa	816,474	90+
United States	330,000	713
South America	456,175	43
Transition Economies	1,131,462	400
Caribbean	542,163	250
Indian Ocean	189,412	1
Europe	45,472	50
Pacific	145,930	14
Total (estimated)	63,118,236	2,700+

= approximately 100,000

or = approximately 1,000,000