ILO to launch decent work country event 2022-26 marking 50 years in Bangladesh

International Labour Organization (ILO) will mark its 50 years in Bangladesh in June 2022. ILO started its journey in Bangladesh during a time of political, social, and economic transformation in 1972 right after its independence. When rebuilding from the ravages of the war was the priority, the ILO started supporting the country through employment and skills programmes aimed to assist in recovery and establishing livelihoods.

Since then, Bangladesh has been an active member of the ILO with a focus on productive employment, labour rights, labour governance, and administration, social security, enterprise development, gender inclusiveness, disability inclusion and labour standards.

-Where are we coming from?

In these five decades, the Bangladesh economy has seen a growth of 1 per cent every decade since independence. The key accelerator has been the ready-made garment (RMG) industry. The RMG industry played a key role in the country's transformation into an industry-based economy from an agriculture-based one in the 1980s. The sector employs four million people 67 per cent of whom are women and earns over $35 billion a year in exports, which accounts for 84 per cent of total exports. ILO has been supporting the RMG sector in the areas of working conditions, minimum wages, occupational safety, and health, eliminating workplace-based discrimination and enhancing productivity.

Major initiatives are also taking place in the areas of skills development and increasing employability of young and adult women and men. In addition, the ILO has been working with the Government and the social partners to enhance social protection and decent employment conditions for Bangladeshi migrant workers. An effort is made to eliminate child labour, promote the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples, and build social protection systems.

As part of the ILO tripartite system, ILO has been working closely with the Bangladesh government, Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF), the National Coordination Committee for Workers' Education (NCCWE) and the Industrial Bangladesh Council (IBC). ILO also cooperates with many other key actors in civil society, academic and research institutions, the private sector, and the media. As part of the UN system in Bangladesh, the ILO supports the government in implementing its Five-Year Plan and in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8, to promote sustained and inclusive economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.

In continuation of the joint effort of the Bangladesh government and ILO to promote decent work, full productive employment, and social justice, the "Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) 2022-2026" has been launched on March 31, 2022. Keeping the tripartite mechanism at the core of the strategic approach DWCP is the tool for the government, employers, workers, constituents, unions, development partners, chambers, and private sector to achieve decent work goals and targets for creating a better society with inclusive socioeconomic advancement for Bangladesh. As a technical agency of the United Nations working on labour rights, employment, social protection, skills development and labour governance, ILO's role is to support the process of implementing DWCP together with the government, constituents, employers, and workers.  The DWCP is in line with the ILO's and its member states' "Decennary Declaration" which was established for the 100th anniversary of the ILO during the labour conference in 2019. 

 The declaration calls for human-centred recovery which is more important than ever during the current Covid-19 recovery needs.

The declaration was followed by ILO's "Global Call to Action" declared in June 2021 where 181 countries including Bangladesh unanimously opted for the following pathways for human-centred recovery from Covid-19:

Commits countries to work for economic and social recovery from the crisis that is fully inclusive, sustainable and resilient.

Calls for policies that prioritize the creation of decent work for all and address inequalities.

Outlines a comprehensive agenda, with specific measures to promote quality employment and economic development, worker protections, universal social protection, and social dialogue.

-Looking ahead

Covid-19 has increased the poverty levels in Bangladesh by pushing millions of people out of jobs temporarily and permanently. Figure 1 depicts some major shocks in the labour market of Bangladesh:

Source: ILO, 2021.

Moreover, labour incomes in Bangladesh declined by 7.1 per cent in industry and 17.6 per cent in services sectors by the end of 2021. 37 per cent of the workers in Bangladeshi MSMEs either lost their jobs, temporarily or permanently (IFC, WB 2021). All these factors increased the proportion of the population living below the national poverty line from 20.5 per cent to near about 35 per cent at least temporarily (BIGD, SANEM, BIDS and CPD). This socio-economic context due to Covid-19 has been impacting social justice, inclusiveness of economic growth, gender equality and decent working conditions. 

More than two million people, mostly young, entered the labour market every year.  However only 5 per cent of the Bangladesh labour force has received any form of training, and just 1 per cent of the population has undergone any form of technical or vocational training. A lack of adequate education and skill holds many Bangladeshis back from obtaining quality jobs and the country ranks below many others in the region for levels of literacy, education, and skills. 83 per cent of the labour force is either illiterate or has no formal education, with only 60 per cent completing primary school.

Of Bangladesh's working-age population of 46.5 million people, more than 12 million youth are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) almost 66 per cent of the women in the working-age category are out of the labour force.  85 per cent of women and men workers are in the informal economy. Women's participation in the labour m market in Bangladesh has stagnated since 2015 at around 36 per cent due to gender bias and discrimination. According to a joint ILO-Gallup Report (2017), unpaid care and domestic work is the primary barrier for women engaging in and staying in the workforce.

-What will DWCP contribute?

The DWCP 2022-26 has been formulated under the macroeconomic and labour market context explained.  and is based around four overarching challenges for the world of work in Bangladesh. They are climate change, Covid-19 impacts, 4IR associated changes and changes in the general economic and employment landscape. The DWCP 2022-26 is aligned with the 8th

FYP and Perspective Plan 2021-2041 and SDG targets and indicators for supporting both human-centric recovery from Covid-19 and Bangladesh LDC graduation by 2026. 

The goal of the DWCP is to increase the number of women and men in full, decent, and productive jobs in Bangladesh in the post-Covid period.  To reach this goal ILO will continue to work together with its constituents and partners to provide technical support and work together with demonstration projects. 

There are four priority areas in the DWCP. First, inclusive, and sustainable economic development and decent jobs creation. Second, equitable human development and well-being. Third, international labour standards and labour rights are promoted, labour. Fourth, gender equality and eliminating gender-based violence.

Areas of focus include: (i) improving policies and practices related to decent work, building quality institutions for decent work such as in areas of labour inspection, safety at work, labour dispute resolution, employment services, and social protection system, and (ii) developing capacities of the constituents, social partners, associations and government agencies for building inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic development, decent work, and universal social protection for all.

Sustainable enterprise development, "TVET and Skills Development", productivity ecosystem, formalisation, green and blue economy, economic empowerment of women, eliminating child labour, enhancing labour standards, financing SDGs, labour administration and governance, labour migration governance and promoting tripartite and social dialogue will be the core working areas of ILO in Bangladesh under the DWCP.

From ILO's early days, promoting the creation of full and productive employment has been an integral part of its work in Bangladesh. This is because decent and quality jobs – not just any jobs – are the basis for peace, social justice, social inclusion, economic development, and personal fulfilment.

ILO hopes that this new DWCP will help in creating a society where no one is discriminated against or left behind regardless of gender, social class, ethnicity, geography, age or economic conditions.

Implementation of DWCP 2022-26 will be a firm step toward achieving Bangladesh's vision for equitable and socially inclusive growth.  ILO looks forward to working together in continuing to develop decent work for all in Bangladesh working together with the government, employers, and workers for a common goal.