More initiatives are needed in the IT sector

Bangladesh has made major strides in laying the groundwork for a diverse and successful outsourcing market. The IT services industry within Bangladesh has been growing—serving international clients and domestic clients in banking and telecom sectors. According to a report published in 2018 by LankaBangla, the industry now employs over 300,000 people, and is exporting services to European, North American and East Asian clients. The emerging outsourcing players already have strong credentials, having earned more than USD 700 million in 2017, and is set to meet the USD 1 billion export target by 2019. The local freelancing community is also appearing consistently in top freelance sites like Upwork, Freelancer.com, vWorker and others.

The government should focus more on equipping the labour force with top-notch IT skills, and encourage the academic establishments to introduce courses related to IT in primary and secondary level education curriculums. Employees who cannot pursue higher studies or who drop out can then earn adequately if they develop proper skills in this sector.

The main strength of the Bangladeshi IT sector is its young, motivated and educated workforce that can be trained to fit any IT roles. The government needs to take a holistic approach towards promoting the IT industry.

Sarmin Akter, New York, United States