Jakir Hossain, Mostafiz Ahmed, and Afroza Akter |Clicks for Details: PDF

Introduction

The vast majority of the labour force in Bangladesh is employed in the informal economy. In spite of good economic performance, the country is faced with growing informalization—an estimated 86% of the labour force is currently employed in the informal sector with an increase from around 79 percent in 2002.[1] Workers in the informal sector are characterized by varying degrees of exclusion, dependency and vulnerability resulting in a high number of working poor.  The informal economy thrived in the context of high unemployment, underemployment, poverty, gender inequality and precarious work. It plays a significant role, especially in income generation, because of the relative ease of entry and low requirements for education, skills, technology and capital. But most people enter the informal economy not by choice, but out of a need to survive and to have access to basic income-generating activities. Truly, while the informal economy derives certain benefits such as livelihood, and large entrepreneurial potential, among others, the decent work deficit is a major concern.

                  Two major sectors of the informal economy—personal care workers, and non-clinical healthcare workers— are the focus of the study. Personal care workers in the country are those who are involved in beauty parlours providing makeup, spa, facial mud baths, haircutting, colouring, waxing, eyebrow shaping, pedicure & manicure, hair colouring, body wraps, haircut and oil massage.Personal care industries are worth USD 10 billion plus industry in Bangladesh, providing employment for an estimated 100,000 women in thousands of beauty-care service providers or beauty parlours/salons those have sprung up all over the country in thelast decade.^[2] Non-clinical healthcare workers include ayas, ward boys, ward masters, stretcher bearers, and other occupations including cleaners, gatekeepers, MLSS and zamadars who make up the bulk of the human resource in the health sector of the country across the public and private spectrum. Clicks for Details: PDF