Majority of informal workers engaged in retail, agriculture, food, transport: Study

Sep 8, 2025 | Newspaper Clip

About 450 occupations in Bangladesh’s informal sector have been identified, with most workers found to be engaged in retail and sales, followed by agriculture and livestock, food and beverage services, transport, and crafts, according to a joint study.

The study, titled “Mapping of Informal Sector Workers in Bangladesh: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications,” surveyed 768 informal sector workers across all divisions of the country.

Conducted jointly by Karmojibi Nari and FES Bangladesh, the study found that the majority of informal workers (69 per cent) are between the ages of 25 and 44.

Most informal workers—73.3 per cent—are self-employed or run small businesses, while 21.7 per cent are employed on a contractual basis. Only a small portion is engaged in regular or family-based work.

Hafiza Begum, lead researcher at Adhuna Bangladesh Limited, presented the findings at a programme held in Dhaka on Monday.

The study highlighted key challenges facing informal workers, including the absence of guaranteed income, exposure to health risks, unsafe working conditions, and a lack of access to social security. Despite accounting for nearly 85 per cent of the country’s total workforce, informal workers are deprived of legal recognition, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, disrespect, and harassment.

Income instability caused by seasonal employment and daily wage fluctuations is particularly acute in agriculture and street vending, the report said. It also noted that access to formal financial services remains limited, forcing workers to rely on informal loans and community savings.

Speaking at the event, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), underscored the need to develop a database of informal workers to ensure social protection.

He stressed that formalisation of both enterprises and employment should proceed simultaneously, cautioning that formalising enterprises alone could create new problems. He further emphasised the importance of identifying risks within the informal sector, safeguarding citizens’ basic rights, and ensuring that workers’ demands are reflected in the election manifestos of candidates.

Mr Ahmed, a former chairman of the Labour Reform Commission, also recommended establishing a grievance mechanism to allow workers to lodge complaints.

Saifuzzaman Badsha, president of Jatiyo Sramik Jote Bangladesh, called for setting a national minimum wage for all workers and bringing the country’s 73 million informal workers under the provisions of the labour law by formally recognising them.

Speakers also urged the government to clearly define informal sector workers, extend legal recognition, create formal employment opportunities, ratify ILO Conventions 177, 188, 189, and 190, and implement ILO Recommendation 204 to facilitate the transition of workers from informal to formal employment.

FES Bangladesh resident representative Felix Gerdes; Department of Women Affairs director; Karmojibi Nari additional executive director Sunzida Sultana; and its vice president Umme Hassan Jholmol, among others, also spoke at the event.

Source Link: The Financial Express

Rights, protection for informal sector workers demanded

Sep 8, 2025 | Newspaper Clip

Karmojibi Nari organises a discussion on the findings of a study, titled ‘Mapping of Informal Sector Workers in Bangladesh: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Implications’, at the Daily Star Centre in Dhaka on Monday. | Press release

Trade union leaders and labour rights activists on Monday urged the government to ensure labour rights and protection for informal sector workers, who make up the majority of Bangladesh’s workforce but remain outside the scope of the labour law.

They said that informal workers, lacking legal recognition, written contracts, or income security, were more vulnerable to exploitation and lived in precarious conditions.

The call came at a discussion organised by non-government organisation Karmojibi Nari at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka, where findings of a study titled ‘Mapping of Informal Sector Workers in Bangladesh: Challenges, Opportunities and Policy Implications’ were shared.

The study, conducted with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, surveyed 768 informal workers across the country between September and November 2024. It identified about 450 different occupations in the informal economy, where workers often toil up to 12 hours a day without any formal protection.

According to the findings, 69 per cent of workers were aged between 25 and 44, with the largest share — 7.7 per cent — working as street vendors.

Labour Reform Commission chairman and Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies executive director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed urged the government to build a national data hub on informal workers and bring them under social protection.

‘Announcement of a national minimum wage can be one initiative to ensure better wages,’ he said.

Samajtantrik Sramik Front president Razekuzzaman Ratan said informal sector workers faced greater exploitation than formal workers due to their vulnerability.

Jagannath University associate professor of social work Mostafiz Ahmed observed that child labour was likely higher in the informal sector, yet no dispute resolution mechanism existed there.

ILO Formalisation project coordinator Ruman Ishtiak said formalising payment systems could offer workers protection and recognition.

Jatiya Sramik Jote Bangladesh president Saifuzzaman Badsha stressed that rights and protection could not be ensured without legal recognition of informal workers.

Speakers pointed out that over 85 per cent of Bangladesh’s total workforce was engaged in the informal economy, yet the government had no comprehensive protection measures for them.

Julia Jesmin, joint inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, acknowledged that the current labour law did not cover informal workers.

Other trade union leaders, rights activists, and government officials also spoke at the event.

Source Link: New Age

Human Rights Day: Protect Bangladesh’s Garment Workers

Dec 10, 2024 | Newspaper Clip

”On Human Rights Day, what needs to happen to protect Bangladesh’s garment workers?”

Karmojibi Nari (KN) and Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS) jointly wrote a blog on Just Transition in the RMG Industry in Bangladesh in honor of Human Rights Day 2024 and it was published on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) website.

Link: Click for Details News