Bangladesh is entering a period of profound labour-market transformation while carrying significant structural vulnerabilities. Automation alone threatens up to 1.22 million readymade garment (RMG) jobs, and as much as 60 per cent of female RMG employment could be displaced by 2041. A foresight analysis of 27 drivers of change generated four plausible futures for 2035. Five structural forces persist across all of them: irreversible digitalisation, the reorientation of employment towards services, lagging education and skills systems, recurrent external shocks, and the decisive influence of institutional agility.
Authors: Debapriya Bhattacharya, Towfiqul Islam Khan, Mamtajul Jannat and Maliha Rahman
Publication Period: July 2026
