Some companies have been getting their garments made of very low prices in Australia and elsewhere, yet making high profits. Higher wages for workers can be absorbed by both retailers and contracted suppliers. In the last 10 years, the number of home-based outworkers has significantly increased. The garment industry has become increasingly globalised. In Australia, tariff reductions and increased monopolies by large retailers have contributed to the closure of factories and the shift to home-based outworkers, paid below the award, as a cheap option for the industry.
Factories now advertise for machinists to work at home.
This means that they may have four to five workers working for the price of one award-paid worker. Many Australian-born women in cities and rural areas also do home work for low wages. Most often, the ethnic groups involved are those of recently arrived immigrant and refugee groups. Currently, the main language groups are believed to be Vietnamese, Chinese, Khmer, Macedonian, Turkish and Arabic. Outworkers work for their families to survive.