Bangladesh: Looking Beyond Garments - Employment Diagnostic Study

Abstract

Economic growth in Bangladesh, above 6% in most years since the 2000s, has been on the fast track since the 1990s. Not many developing countries, especially the least developed, have been able to achieve this consistently for such a long period. Yet despite the jobs generated in the export-oriented readymade garment industry, the fruits of growth have not been widely shared. This joint study by the Asian Development Bank and the International Labour Organization examines the nature and magnitude of the employment challenge Bangladesh faces. It looks at the nature of productive employment and its role in transmitting the benefits of growth into incomes for the poor, thus reducing poverty. It also examines the importance of overseas employment, changing gender roles in employment in Bangladesh, quality of education, and skills development.