Samoa's government is vowing to find ways of offsetting the 740 jobs that will be lost when its largest private employer shuts down next year.
The automotive manufacturer Yazaki Samoa announced yesterday it will close its operations in the capital Apia, after 25 years.
In recent years Yazaki Samoa has produced around 70 percent of Samoa's exports and around 6 percent of the country's gross domestic product.
The company has injected millions of dollars into the local economy and our correspondent Tipi Autagavaia says thousands of people will be affected.
He told Indira Stewart that a date for the shut down is yet to be finalised.
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Yazaki management announce the closure of their Samoa operations Photo: RNZI/ Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia