The total labour force in the country is over 7.34 crore while there are 26.3 lakh people who do not have jobs.  The figure came in the "Labour Force Survey 2022" released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Wednesday. Out of the total force, men are 4.74 crore and women  2.59 crore while among the jobless people men are 16.9 lakh and women are 9.4 lakh. The figures came as the BBS organised a discussion meeting at Statistics Bhawan in Agargaon where Planning Minister MA Mannan was present as the chief guest.  According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the unemployed population means those who do not get a chance to work even for an hour in a week. The data showed the unemployment rate decreased in fiscal year 2021-22 compared to fiscal year 2016-17. Previously the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent but now it has come down to 3.6 percent. Read more: Overall inflation rose by 8.78 percent in February: BBS Meanwhile, the number of people aged 15 years and above who are outside the work force is 4.69 crore. On the other hand, the number of people who are engaged in work is 7.78 crore. The BBS revealed the data based on Housing Census-2022, in which information was collected from 1284 primary record areas across the country.  

The process of amending the Bangladesh Labour Law will be completed by mid-2023 and the amended law will be also applied to all industrial zones in the country, Law Minister Anisul Huq has said. There are some confusions as to which of the two – the Bangladesh Labour Act and the Bangladesh EPZ Labour Act – will apply to the newly established industrial zones. But the amended Bangladesh Labour Act will be applied to Bangladesh industrial zones, the minister declared. The law minister was speaking at the 346th session of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Switzerland’s Geneva. Bangladesh continues its efforts to resolve the complaints raised under Article 26 of the ILO Constitution, said Anisul. Read more: Bangladesh considers labour rights related recommendations from US, EU, ILO with due importance: PM's Adviser After submitting the report to the meeting of the Governing Body of the ILO last March, the Bangladesh government has made significant progress in the implementation of the roadmap in about seven months, he added. “The government has tried to secure progress in the four clusters of the roadmap to improve the overall labour situation in the country.” The minister also said the government has already amended the Bangladesh Labour Code and enacted the Bangladesh EPZ Labour Code. In this process, the observations of the ILO Committee of experts have been considered. Assuring ILO, he said the process of revising the Labour Law has been started as the next phase of legal reformation. “So far, 17 stakeholders have received proposals for amendments. The Tripartite Working Group is seriously working on compiling these amendment proposals.” Read more: ILO offers help for skills development of workforce in Bangladesh The review committee will further discuss the recommendations or proposals compiled and seek the approval of the National Tripartite Consultative Council, he added. Regarding trade union registration, the law minister said this process has been fully digitised to ensure greater accountability and transparency. The Department of Labour with the help of its four industry related institutes and 32 labour welfare centers is providing training to workers and employers on the trade union registration process, he added. In this regard, regular training is being given to the concerned officers. A pre-application service has been introduced by the Department of Labour to assist, he said. Read more: BIDA, ILO sign deal to streamline one-stop service for investors “Trade union registration process will be simplified further, if necessary.” Referring to the significant measures taken by the Bangladesh government to strengthen labour inspection and enforcement in line with the roadmap, the minister said, "We are committed to continue engagement with domestic and foreign social partners and other stakeholders for bringing qualitative changes in the labour sector." He also mentioned handing over of the document of ratification of ILO Convention 138 to its Director General the 344th session of the Governing Body. “In January this year, the Bangladesh government also ratified Protocol 29 of the ILO Convention on Forced Labour, 1930. Clearly, these are a demonstration of our strong commitment to ILO labour standards.” Read More: ILO, FBCCI team up to boost workplace safety, healthcare in 10 sectors The law minister is leading the Bangladesh delegation in the ILO session that started from October 31.

The International Labour Organisation(ILO) has expressed its keenness to work with the country's top business body, the FBCCI, to make positive changes in Bangladesh’s industries like RMG sector that has become one of the safest industries in the world through reforms. The issue was discussed when ILO Bangladesh country director Tuomo Poutiainen called on FBCCI President Md Jashim Uddin at his office. READ: FBCCI seeks enhanced trade, investment ties with UK According to a press release issued from the FBCCI, said the ILO, a specialised UN agency, wants to bring about such positive changes in the rest of the industry. “That goal requires the involvement of the private sector. That's why the United Nations is keen to work with the country's top business body, the FBCCI,” the press release stated. ILO director also lauded the major reforms in the garment sector after Rana Plaza disaster and the recent initiative by FBCCI and BIDA to inspect factories producing for the domestic market. He thanked the FBCCI president for setting up the FBCCI Safety Council on the initiative of the present committee. Tuomo Poutiainen said it would be easier to improve the labour sector in Bangladesh for them if they have FBCCI, the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF), and the related organisations. BEF president Ardashir Kabir proposed to form two working groups in the two respective trade bodies. These groups will jointly review and finalised the draft work plan prepared by the ILO. The FBCCI president 108 committees have already been formed under the initiative of FBCCI and BIDA who will initially inspect 500 factories. The FBCCI president said that the FBCCI experts would give their views on the matter after reviewing the draft work plan prepared by the ILO. READ: FBCCI keen to sign MoU with top Spanish trade body FBCCI Vice President M A Momen, Md Amin Helaly, Secretary General Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque and FBCCI Safety Council Adviser Brig. General (Retd.) Abu Naeem Md. Shahidullah were present in the meeting.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said the latest factory fire illustrates the urgent need in Bangladesh for authorities and building owners to ensure that buildings are built and operated in compliance with national code requirements.  "If the fire safety measures required by the regulations were properly implemented, it would provide for safe evacuation of occupants in this type of emergency," ILO said on Saturday adding that thousands of workers spend the better part of their day in factories.  Read: Rupganj factory fire: Sajeeb Group chairman, 4 sons, CEO arrested The ILO is "deeply saddened" by the tragic loss of life of at least 52 workers from a fire in the Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Rupganj area of Naranyanganj, and to see reports of underage workers among the victims.  "We extend our heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims and others injured at this factory," it said.  The ILO has worked closely with the Government of Bangladesh, employers’ and workers’ organisations and development partners to improve working conditions in the ready-made garment (RMG) industry. Read: Rupganj factory fire: Fire Service forms 5-member probe body The ILO is working with the government’s labour inspectorate to enhance the effectiveness of safety inspections, and is helping with the development and implementation of an industrial safety framework that would extend the good practices applied over the past eight year in the RMG sector to all other industries. Read: Trapped in a building with no fire exit and gates locked , workers were burn to a pulp "This latest incident illustrates the urgency of that endeavour. The ILO will continue to work with the Government of Bangladesh and the employers’ and workers’ organisations on these efforts," it said.  The ILO hoped that this tragic accident will drive all parties involved to apply renewed vigour in addressing the safety deficits in workplaces across the country.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated working conditions that were already very poor, and domestic workers were more vulnerable to the fallout from the pandemic because of long-standing gaps in labour and social protection, according to a new ILO report. ''This particularly affected the more than 60 million domestic workers in the informal economy,'' the report noted. Ten years after the adoption of an historic International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention that confirmed their labour rights, domestic workers are still fighting for recognition as workers and essential service providers. Working conditions for many have not improved in a decade and have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the report. Also read: ILO: Slow jobs recovery, increased inequality risk long-term COVID-19 scarring At the height of the crisis, job losses among domestic workers ranged from 5-20 percent in most European countries, as well as Canada and South Africa. In the Americas, the situation was worse, with losses amounting to 25-50 percent. Over the same period, job losses among other employees were less than 15 percent in most countries. Data in the report shows that the world’s 75.6 million domestic workers (4.5 percent of employees worldwide) have suffered significantly, which in turn has affected the households that rely on them to meet their daily care needs. "The crisis has highlighted the urgent need to formalise domestic work to ensure their access to decent work, starting with the extension and implementation of labour and social security laws to all domestic workers," said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. A decade ago the adoption of the landmark Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) was hailed as a breakthrough for the tens of millions of domestic workers around the world – most of whom are women. Also read: ILO, UNICEF record first increase in child labour in two decades Since then there has been some progress – with a decrease of more than 16 percentage points in the number of domestic workers who are wholly excluded from the scope of labour laws and regulations. Domestic work remains a female-dominated sector, employing 57.7 million women, who account for 76.2 percent of domestic workers. While women make up the majority of the workforce in Europe and Central Asia and in the Americas, men outnumber women in Arab States (63.4 percent) and North Africa, and make up just under half of all domestic workers in Southern Asia (42.6 percent). The vast majority of domestic workers are employed in two regions. About half (38.3 million) can be found in Asia and the Pacific – largely on account of China – while another quarter (17.6 million) are in the Americas.

International Labour Organisation (ILO) Country Director in Bangladesh Tuomo Poutiainen has praised the development that the readymade garment (RMG) sector has made in the areas of workplace safety and social compliance. A delegation of the ILO led by its Country Director held a meeting with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan at BGMEA office on Sunday. They discussed the progress of the ongoing projects jointly implemented by ILO and BGMEA in the RMG sector. Also read: Bangladesh elected ILO Covid-19 Technical Committee chair They also had discussion on the possible avenues of collaboration between ILO and BGMEA for further development of the industry, especially for workers’ well-being, said a BGMEA media release. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan expressed his thanks to the ILO for providing its support to Bangladesh garment industry in ensuring workers’ rights and welfare. BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Directors Barrister Shehrin Salam Oishee and Asif Ashraf were present. Also read: Long working hours increase deaths from heart disease, stroke: WHO, ILO

The COVID-19 crisis is having a devastating effect on the education and training of young people and Bangladesh is no exception, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said Wednesday.