Post-COVID situation of internal returnee migrants in Southwest Bangladesh: A rapid assessment

Abstract

Internal economic migration is widespread in Bangladesh as workers move to the growth centres or economic hubs, especially large cities and towns, searching for economic opportunities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when the lockdown was enforced, there was an exodus of workers from their host locations back to their home locations. Many businesses were shut down, and many workers were laid off either temporarily or permanently. In Bangladesh’s economy, more than four-fifths of the labour force is engaged in the informal economy and unemployment or underemployment is a serious issue. The COVID-19-related layoffs thus posed a severe economic crisis for the internal migrant workers who were left to fend for themselves without any formal entitlement or alternative employment. While there has been significant discussion and attention to the plight of the international returnee migrants, the helpless situation of the internal returnee migrants was little discussed in the literature. This paper sheds light on the economic situation of the internal returnee migrants in the second wave of COVID-19 in the climate-vulnerable region of Southwest Bangladesh, centred on the Mongla-Bagerhat region. The paper also suggests how to provide relief to this group during crises.