Bangladesh Faces 40% Workforce AI Risk as 1.3 Million Jobs Vanish in 2024

2 articles · Updated · The Daily Star · Jul 3

About 40% of Bangladesh’s workforce could face AI- and automation-related disruption, with the labor market entering that shift from a weak base of informal, insecure and low-productivity employment.
1.3 million jobs were lost in 2024, according to the latest official data, and roughly 90% of those losses hit women, underscoring how automation risks are likely to fall unevenly on already vulnerable groups.
Up to 60% of female garment jobs could disappear by 2041 as Bangladesh nears LDC graduation, when the loss of trade preferences is expected to intensify export-sector pressure for automation and higher productivity.
Policy gaps remain wide: education and TVET are poorly aligned with changing skill demand, more than 1 million gig workers lack formal protection, and there is no coherent framework for labor transitions.
The analysis says Bangladesh must shift from fragmented recognition to coordinated action—linking industrial policy, reskilling, labor-market data and portable social protection—to meet the government’s pledge to create 10 million jobs in five years.

Sources

The Daily Star1d ago

Bangladesh's Labor Market Faces Automation, AI Challenges Amidst Structural Vulnerabilities

Facebook1d ago

The Bangladesh Bank has instructed its officials and employees not to input any confidential or sensitive banking information into artificial intelligence (AI) tools under any circumstances, citing growing concerns over data security

As AI threatens millions of jobs, can Bangladesh's broken education system pivot in time to save its workforce?

Millions of women powered Bangladesh's garment industry. As their jobs vanish, what is the concrete plan to support them?

Facing the AI Challenge: Job Loss, Inequality, and the Future of Work in Bangladesh

Overview

In 2024, global warnings from organizations like Goldman Sachs and the IMF highlighted the massive potential for AI to disrupt the workforce, with up to 300 million jobs at risk and significant impacts expected in emerging and low-income countries. This outlook sparked widespread anxiety among employees, with many fearing job loss and the erosion of essential skills. Such concerns often led to resistance to change, as workers prioritized job security over embracing new technologies. Leaders were called upon to provide clear AI strategies and support, emphasizing the urgent need for proactive adaptation to manage both immediate disruptions and long-term inequalities.

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