The aspect social
The making-up sector of the textile industry shows a great potential for the socio-economic development of Per, in terms of creating jobs and generating wealth. This sector enjoys not only the advantages associated with the quality of the raw material and the proximity of the target market, but it also has substantial management and production experience which constitutes the social capital indispensable for its advancement.
This sector is regarded as a large source of jobs given that it directly employs more than 150 000 people and, via the links in the production chain, some 500000 people depend directly or indirectly on this activity. The alpaca-textile sector produces an important multiplier effect since to a large degree it utilizes raw materials and supplies which are locally produced.
Furthermore, along the production chain, it generates a high added value which is mainly exported owing to the tendency toward the use of natural fibers and the appropriate commercial policies applied by the local entrepreneurs. Its characteristics and potential make it a highly integrated industry which, to a large degree, uses Peruvian natural resources.
The alpaca clothing industry thus creates demand in other sectors, such as animal raising, for a supply of fine hair and wool; the plastics industry for the supply of buttons, fasteners and other items; the chemical industry for the supply of chemical products, and so on.
The manufacture of alpaca garments is the hub of development for the whole region, which is why the Cluster Group will have an effect on the economy and social situation. As a result of the constant changes brought about in Per since 1990, with new political measures such as the reduction of the bureaucracy and the privatization of state-run businesses, the state no longer provides a significant contribution to the absorption of labor. This has led to the otherwise unemployed trying to find their own sources of employment. One alternative has been provided by setting up PYMES (small- and medium-size firms) to create jobs and incomes.
