Three years after the global financial crisis, the U.N. estimates that global manufacturing shed 2.5 million jobs in the first quarter of this year.
That is the largest one-month loss since 2007, according to the International Monetary Fund, when manufacturing jobs shrank by a third.
One-year growth for manufacturing is expected to be 3.5% in the U.-Pacific region, down from a 4.4% rise in the previous year.
The U.K. is projected to have lost 1.3 million jobs this year, down by 4,500 in the same period.
The latest U.L.S.-based data show that the number of manufacturing jobs in China fell by about 8.5 percent in January.
The country has seen a rebound in exports after the government announced it would cut subsidies and allow more Chinese firms to hire foreign workers.
China is now one of the world’s largest exporters of textiles and footwear, accounting for about 12% of global exports.
It has been the target of protests, anti-China trade protests and a series of labor strikes, but has been able to avoid a global economic collapse.
In January, China’s exports rose by 1.9%, but that was mainly due to a boost in imports from India.
U.S., Canada and Mexico also reported record growth in January as manufacturing recovered.
