The Future of Leather Tanning in Leon
J.L. Rocha Values
A dwindling labor pool creates technical growth in leather tanning.
Summary:
After the pandemic, the leather production and tanning sector have suffered due to lack of personnel with over 9 thousand vacancies reported in 2023.
Employers are unable to increase salaries as international brands continue to seek lower costs of goods.
As a solution, the Chamber of Leather Manufacturing (CICUR) is partnering with University of Guanajuato in León to create a technical degree in tanning.
The full report:
In 2020, life changed across the globe. Amidst tragedies and losses workforces across the globe suffered a halting blow, the leather manufacturing and tanning industry in Leon, Guanajuato Mexico was no different. In 2022, even as the vital signs of global commerce were coming back to life the president of CICUR (the Chamber of Commerce for Tanning in Leon), Ricardo Muñoz Arrona acknowledged that of the approximately 2 thousand jobs that were lost during the health related furlough, only 1 thousand had been recovered.
“Many of those employees or workforce decided not to return to the industry, they must already be working somewhere else or starting their own businesses” he said.
By February of 2023, the total workforce diminished further - with reports of 9,000 vacancies across the tanning and footwear manufacturing sectors of Leon. Not represented is the larger figure when manufacturing for leather jackets, bags, and accessories is taken into account. The solution to this problem? Improve efficiency and technical training for workers. In 2023 Ricardo Muñoz brokered a collaboration between manufacturing/tanning business owners and University of Guanajuato to launch the “Advanced Technician in Tanning” academic program with an aim to professionalize young people to support control and supervision in the tanning process.
The program incentivizes young workers to enter the field with employers offering scholarships for the development of these positions. The professional certification will take 2 years to complete within a dual modality of work and education. In this first cohort roughly 25 people will be awarded scholarships by the 12 participating tanneries in the city, offered directly to their staff, but the program is also open publicly to anyone interested.
These technical improvements will result in more efficient and cost effective practices within key players in the industry. However, solving this problem requires a globalized effort.
“It is a vicious cycle because sometimes the manufacturer would like to pay and perform better, but the problem is that the larger players in the market are not accepting price increases. How do you pay better when the price is very controlled? There needs to be better prices for footwear so that they can in turn offer better salaries and feel attracted to working in the sector,”
- Alejandro Gómez Tamez, executive president of CICEG (Chamber of the Footwear Industry of the State of Guanajuato), Source
While the leather industry is projecting a return from it’s close to 32% decline in 2021, the cost of manufacturing has remained relatively stagnate. Brands and employers will require deeper investments to maintain quality, and programs such as these represent hope for generations of workers seeking to uphold their ancestral crafts. Global numbers suggest a Compound annual growth rate of 6.3% between 2023-2030 according to the Market Research Community, but localized numbers for Leon Guanajuato have yet to be determined or quantified.
In November of 2023 The Tanning Process Laboratory was inaugurated within the Sciences and Engineering Division at the University of León, serving as a beacon of a bright future for the industry, workers, and brands alike. We are proud to support this program and scholarships for artisans, and will continue working tireless to ensure this legacy flourishes.