<h1>50% Tariff Hike on Key Exports From Major Partner Threatens Jobs, Orders, and Competitiveness in Labor-Intensive Sectors</h1> An importing country will impose a 50% tariff on goods from an exporting country effective Aug 27, escalating an existing 25% duty by an additional 25% as a penalty for certain purchases; pharmaceuticals, electronics and petroleum remain exempt. The levy will hit labour-intensive sectors-textiles, apparel, leather, gems and jewellery, shrimp, carpets and furniture-affecting roughly two-thirds of the exporting country's shipments to the market and risking major competitiveness losses, order cancellations, frontline job cuts, and front-loading of shipments. Exporters and a research group project steep export declines, sectoral unemployment, and diversion of trade to lower-tariff competitors.