Bangladeshi Labor Research Articles

Examining the social issues and challenges encountered by Bangladeshi foreign labors

This study focused on how the earnings of Bangladeshi foreign labor impacted the economic development of Bangladesh. The purpose of this research was to raise awareness of the problems faced by Bangladeshi laborers on short-term work visas in various foreign countries and to explore how society can address this significant social issue to eradicate the problems among the deprived poor people of the society. In this study, the researcher used a mixed approach of quantitative and qualitative methods. The main problem was the social challenges faced by Bangladeshi labor workers. This issue was important to address because it was necessary to advocate for the rights of the deprived people of Bangladesh. This study focused on the issues faced by Bangladeshi workers in foreign nations, such as Gulf countries and emerging Asian countries like Malaysia. Bangladeshi policymakers, economists, lawyers, and human rights activists found this study useful for their professions. This research employed a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research.

Rohingya refugees and its impact on informal economy: Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether refugees in Cox's Bazar area of Bangladesh can successfully integrate into the informal economic sector. This evaluation was carried out by comparing the actions of refugees in the labor market with those of the local population.
 Research methodology: This study used survey data from two population groupings. The sample size included 300 Rohingya refugees and 300 locals from Coxs' Bazar, where they are now living. ANOVA was employed to compare the category mean differences owing to the limited sample size. The calculations would include wealth, occupation, language, religion, and race as labor market barriers.
 Results: The data indicated significant disparities in both types of occupations and monthly incomes between local workers and refugee workers. Furthermore, the findings also suggest that Rohingya refugees encounter greater challenges when entering the job market than local workers.
 Limitations: Refugees in Bangladesh are unable to work. They must stay at local and international NGO (Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2014). No Bangladeshi labor legislation has protected them. Bangladeshi authorities can also imprison refugees on illicit travel. A good Rohingya refugee policy in Bangladesh is crucial to human rights.
 Contribution: The Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar has been subjected to genocide, resulting in their expulsion and subsequent migration to neighboring countries. Bangladesh is the primary host nation for the Rohingya group from Myanmar, which has sought safety there as refugees for many years. Due to their lack of legal employment opportunities in Bangladesh, these refugees engage in informal economic operations and participate in various criminal activities inside the place where they reside.

Multiple masculinities of labour migrants: how Bangladeshi migrant men rationalize gender norms in their home country

ABSTRACT Although there is growing scholarship on marginalized migrants and racialized masculinities, studies on how migrant masculinities influence gender norms in the origin countries remain limited. This article explores the formation of multiple masculinities among low-paid Bangladeshi labour migrants to the Middle-East and South-East Asia. I pay particular attention to how migration influences men’s attitudes towards gender norms in their home country. This ethnography reveals that Bangladeshi migrant men advocate for female ‘modesty’ and religious schooling for women in their native communities. Struggling to achieve hegemonic masculine power abroad, men uphold rigid masculinities back home often by relying on a patriarchal interpretation of Islam. Regardless of the diverse ways in which Islam is practiced in the host countries, migrant men returning from both the Middle East and South-East Asia exhibit similarly conservative views on gender norms. This article highlights the need for further research that examines how formation of multiple masculinities among migrant men may impact gender relations in their native communities.

How Are Women Faring in the Bangladeshi Labour Market? Evidence from Labour Force Survey Data

In Bangladesh, despite increased participation in the labour market in recent decades, women are still lagging behind men by a significant margin, with the former being concentrated chiefly in low-paid agriculture as well as in the lower stages of the occupational ladder. With the help of the latest labour market data of 2016–2017 coupled with 2011 census data, this article attempts to examine gender segregation through sectoral and occupational lenses. Our econometric estimation of different sectors (agriculture, manufacturing, construction and service) reflects the importance of gender-centric factors such as care burden and marital status along with local employment opportunities in constraining women’s labour market engagement. Besides, decomposition analysis highlights that unfavourable returns to endowments play a crucial role in females’ concentration in relatively low-productive sectors. Sectoral and occupational segregation indices reflect a high degree of segregation between men and women. Thus, against the backdrop of the concentration of women in low-skilled jobs and a low-productive sector, this article expects to provide important policy insights for boosting female employment in relatively high-productive sectors and high-paid occupations while utilizing the structural shift in the labour market of Bangladesh. JEL Classifications: J16, J21, J71, J62, C25, O53

Poverty, Migration and Literature from below: Bangladeshi Labour Migrants’ Literary Expressions in Singapore

Poverty, Migration and Literature from below: Bangladeshi Labour Migrants’ Literary Expressions in Singapore

Hindrance to Profitability of Bangladeshi Labour Migration in the Middle Eastern Countries: High Migration Cost

Hindrance to Profitability of Bangladeshi Labour Migration in the Middle Eastern Countries: High Migration Cost

Ties that bind, lines that divide: Bangladeshi labour migrants, Malaysian spouses, and the new contours of racialization

ABSTRACT We investigate the racialization of a migrant “other” centred, not on phenotype, but on nationality, in the context of Malaysia, an ethnically diverse host society. Our case study comprises Bangladeshi male labour migrants who, as transient low-skilled workers, face restrictions in pursuing marriage and entrepreneurship. As Muslims, these Bangladeshi migrants draw on their co-religious congruence with the Malay-Muslim majority to traverse these restrictions, gaining a degree of success in marrying Malaysian women and becoming entrepreneurs. Drawing from narratives of the migrants and their citizen spouses, we examine how they take advantage of their intersectional positioning at the nexus of race, religion, and nationality to overwrite racialization and navigate national anxieties. Leveraging marriage and entrepreneurship, the migrants and spouses draw on and re-interpret existing racial discourses in their mutual pursuit of social mobility. While these partnerships may be socioculturally contentious, they are nevertheless economically interdependent, opening up space for countering racisms.

A social change theory for interpretation of the migration flows of the Bangladeshi labor emigration

The special features of the Bangladeshi emigrant work force have been considered. The explanation of the reason under the theoretical framework of social change has been presented, on which the neoclassical theory of migration, and, also the push and pull factors theory, cannot clarify the specific distribution of migrants, which is observed. The neoclassical theory of migration has been analyzed, which supposes, that economic factors should determine the choice of a destination country by a emigrant, and it shows how the theory would predict, that the distribution of emigrants should be correlated to the relative average income of the hosting countries. Therefore, the theory is not respected in the case of the Bangladeshi emigration. The network model of migration, even though it partially fixes this problem, can still not explain the emergence of enclaves of Bangladeshi citizens in hosting countries.The theory of social changes, with some modifications originating from the network approach and the “governmentality” approach, might however explain the distribution of Bangladeshi emigrants abroad, and it has been assumed, that this theoretical development sheds light on the studied problem and its causes. According to this theory, the Bangladeshi emigration is one part of a global process, which creates a global civilization from a number of previously independent societies. A consequence of this theory is that the flows of migrants should more or less follow the waves of development of a globalised society, and, therefore, that it should be possible to measure modifications in the trend of globalisation by measuring the variation in the flows of migrants, or in their distribution across regions.

Social sustainability in the ready-made-garment sector in Bangladesh: an institutional approach to supply chains

Ready-made-garment (RMG) production for sale in the EU and USA is a key source of economic development for Bangladesh. The 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza revealed worker safety and other social issues in RMG factories in Bangladesh, showing that formal, top-down approaches to these problems, including corporate codes-of-conduct and reforms in Bangladeshi labor laws, have little effect. Supply chain sustainability is a key issue for business, government and civil society. Satisfactory theoretical approaches to promoting social sustainability in supply chains are lacking. A case study using qualitative document analysis identifies the key institutional factors related to social sustainability in the Bangladeshi RMG industry, with a modified version of the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework as an analytical frame. Key elements of other frameworks for social sustainability are discussed in terms of how well the IAD framework captures those concepts, and how employing the IAD could enhance supply chain analysis.

Rights of Labourers in Islam: Bangladesh Perspective

Rights and protection of workers is very important for any organization for achieving success and desired profit and also for smooth running. As a complete code of life Islam describes the rights and duties of the workers and employers. It places substances in dealing with protection accorded to workers. Employment is regarded as worship in Islam that requires observing full dedication, sincerity and commitment from both the workers and the employers. Internationally rights of the labourers are embedded in various international documents such as “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” and in the “Conventions and Recommendations” of the International Labour Organization. All states have their own labour law and policy to protect and guide both the employers and employees. Bangladesh has its own labour law and policy to regulate its labourers and employers and organizations smoothly. The major law regarding labourers in Bangladesh is the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 that covers almost all rights and duties of Bangladeshi workers and employers. Islam is that kind of religion which always plays vital role upon Muslims in their daily affairs. In Muslim majorities countries the values of Islam keep strong influence on the laws and practices. This article examines the provisions of rights of the workers in Islam. As a Muslim majority country how far does Bangladesh incorporate or comply with the Islamic rights provisions of labourers. The main purpose of this article is to reveal the notion of workers’ rights and protection which is enjoined to them under Bangladeshi labour law that has long been accorded by the Islam. Analytical approach is taken as methodology to reach the aim of the paper.

After Rana Plaza: From Building Safety to Social Dialogue

The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse was the worst industrial accident in the history of the apparel industry. The tragedy occurred in the context of decades of sometimes violent industrial relations in Bangladesh. The policy response included a change in Bangladeshi labor law, international buyer-coordinated building inspections, tariff penalties, and attempts at improved social dialogue coordinated by international buyers, unions, the Bangladeshi government, and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Analyses based on historiography, statistical analysis of World Bank Enterprise Surveys, and semi-structured interviews indicate that there was a structural break in industrial relations as a consequence of the tragedy at Rana Plaza and subsequent policy reform. The initial response by factory managers reflected the historical tension between labor and management in Bangladesh. The subsequent policies increased receptivity to compliance with safety inspections and technical labor standards. However, resistance remains to the protection of foundational labor rights.

Employment Linked Skills Training for Underprivileged Children and Youth in Bangladesh

Skill development and vocational education have to be aligned to ensure better employment opportunities for the Bangladeshi labor force, in both local and overseas job markets. In the country the lack of relevant skills of the underprivileged youth group and a mismatch between supply and demand in the market leads to very poor employability and lower wages for them. Children’s welfare should always be the priority of a country. Bangladesh has also taken various efforts at national and regional level to promote health, nutrition, education and socio-cultural interests of children. A national action plan is also being drawn up for children’s development. In this research it has been emphasized that necessary education, training and skill development programs are very necessary for disadvantaged group to have a better life. Education and training are crucial to ensure sustainable economic and social development. Investment in the skills and employability of workers contributes to the improvement of productivity and competitiveness. But a great number of destitute children are not getting the basic needs like education and skill development training which is leading them to poverty, insufficient nutrition and illiteracy. A complete strategy for Skills Training Programs Linked to Employment (STDLE) will need to be developed so that underprivileged group can have access for skills training leading to employment. Skills are vital for productivity and growth and are in fact at the core of improving people’s employment outcomes. Many training providers administered by public, private and NGOs run skills training programs that address skills needs of industry. Government and development partners strongly feel the needs of skills development programs wherein underprivileged group should have access.

Developing Experience, Networks, and Capacities: Leadership as Practiced in Feminist Human Rights Activism

This essay draws on insights from research into human rights activism to propose a feminist human rights account of leadership that could be applied to political science. I advance the view that the practice of leadership is one of building networks and strengthening the capacity of others to advocate for themselves and their communities. In this view, leadership leverages the political and strategic capacities made possible by relative positions of privilege and so transforms the networks, capacities, and privileges of others. Mentoring is an integral part of this activist approach to leadership. In this view, leadership and mentoring are about developing the networks that make transformation possible; they are collective and political. For illustration, I begin with insights about the importance of networks learned through a personal experience in Bangladesh and juxtapose that experience with the experience of Bangladeshi labor rights organizers before providing a more general account of two key aspects of this leadership: building networks and strengthening capacity in others.

Bangladeshi labour migration to the Gulf states: patterns of recruitment and processes

The Gulf countries in the Middle East are one of the largest regions relying on international labour migrants for economic development. Recruitment constitutes an important part of this migration of labour. This study addresses the complexity and multiplicity of labour recruitment in the Gulf countries through a case study of Bangladeshi labour recruitment. This study examines the labour recruitment to the Gulf, combining networks and institutions to highlight both the operational and economic aspects of migrant recruitment. This article reveals how migrant networks and recruitment agencies adapt to the changing practices of recruitment to funnel migrant workers to the GCC countries and make profits out of the migrant workers in the recruitment process. Résumé Les pays du Golfe constituent une des plus grandes régions reliant sur la migration de main d'œuvre pour le développement économique. Le recrutement joue un rôle important dans cette migration. Ce travail addresse la complexité et la multiplicité du recrutement dans les pays du Golfe en analysant un cas d'étude au Bangladesh. Cette étude examine le processus de recrutement, particulièrement les réseaux et les institutions qui soulignent les aspects opérationaux et économiques de la migration. En plus, cette étude révèle l'adaptation des réseaux de migration et des agences de recrutement aux pratiques changeants dans le recrutement ainsi bien que les stratégies employées pour assurer leur profit.

Emigration and the Family Economy: Bangladeshi Labor Migration to Saudi Arabia

The new economics of labor migration explains migration as part of family strategies to address income risks and capital constraints in developing countries. However, it does not adequately take into account the risks and costs borne by migrant families in contemporary labor migration. This paper examines the emigration-family economy nexus highlighting the undercurrent of risks in the labor migration process. This study draws from the experiences of Bangladeshi families who have family members working in Saudi Arabia. The research reports that migrants often undertake international migration at great costs of their own, incurring large debts, risking personal savings and family assets, and accentuating income risks and capital constraints, while the remittances are meager in the repair of such family economy.

Remitting Money to Bangladesh: What Do Migrants Prefer?

This paper looks into the remittance channels used by Bangladeshi labor migrants in Hong Kong and Malaysia and examines the reasons why they prefer particular modes of money transfer. Data were collected from 126 respondents (56 in Hong Kong and 70 in Malaysia) through a survey conducted during June 2004 to October 2005. An overwhelming majority of migrants preferred unofficial over official channels in transferring money. According to migrants, the informal channels are quicker in transferring money and the exchange rate is higher than the formal channels. They recognized though that there is a considerable amount of risk in remitting through informal channels.

International labour recruitment: Channelling Bangladeshi labour to east and south-east Asia

International labour migration in Asia has experienced the most rapid growth in the last few decades. There are two major destination regions for labour migrants in Asia: Middle East and East and South-East Asia. In addition to countries of the Middle East, since the early 1980s we observe a sustained growth of foreign manpower in the prosperous countries of East and South-East Asia, particularly Singapore, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Those countries have followed specific temporary migrant worker programmes in recruiting foreign workers although the name and nature of the programmes vary. One can identify two types of temporary labour migration programmes implemented in the region – the “work permit” and the “trainee” programmes. Each migrant worker programme offers different rights and privileges to migrants. Malaysia and Singapore hire foreign workers under the “work permit” system, which provides special benefits to them as workers. But the Republic of Korea and Japan pursue a conservative policy with regard to the admission of foreign workers. They hire foreign workers mainly under the “trainee” system, which restricts benefits as trainees are not formally recognized as workers. In general, labour migration policies in the receiving countries in Asia can be broadly summarized as follows: limiting labour migration, limiting the duration of migration and limiting integration (Piper, 2004: 75).

Transnational Migration and the Transformation of Gender Relations: The Case of Bangladeshi Labour Migrants

The article discusses the transformations of gender relations due to transnational migration between Bangladesh and Malaysia. It is shown that the uneven economic development in Asia during the last decades has not only initiated new migration movements and patterns but has also led to a feminization of migration, which has resulted in transformations of gender relations. It is argued that the increased migration of Bangladeshi women as temporary labour migrants to Malaysia and the transnational discourses and practices these movements have initiated are leading to renegotiations and transformations of the existing gender order. Networks and transnational activities of Bangladeshi male migrants are analysed in order to show, first, that transnational spaces are gendered and, second, how transnational influences are changing power and gender relations. The successful exploitation of global markets by female migrants has not only resulted in new migration patterns and new gendered labour markets but has become an important agent for transformations of gender relations.