Impacts of Coronavirus on Employment in Bangladesh

Outline:
Introduction: 

The sudden appearance of COVID-19 has left the world in distress. Every
sector of the economies worldwide is facing a downturn as growth attained in the
past is declining rapidly. In this research paper, we will highlight the several
impacts of COVID-19 on employment in Bangladesh and how it has increased
poverty and inequality. 

Literature Review: 
An article titled "Economic Ramification of Covid-19 in Bangladesh" was
published in the Financial Express in May 2020. According to the article, the
poverty rate in Bangladesh would increase by up to 40.9% during this pandemic
because the family incomes were estimated to fall by 25%. This has been
discovered in a survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 

Research Questions:
Questions that we asked:
i) What is the current situation at the participants' workplace?
ii)  How are the participants managing their expenses during this quarantine?

Methodology:  
We have created several polls on social media platforms such as Facebook
and Twitter. We are expecting at least a dozen people will share their opinions on
the current situation of unemployment in Bangladesh. The data will be given once
we get all of their responses.

Analysis and Discussion: 

 After social distancing policies were implemented, most of the workers got
laid off due to a downfall in the whole production process. The low-income
households reported a complete loss of income that committed the government to
support vulnerable families through immediate emergency cash transfers and
unemployment benefits. To get rid of the bad impacts of Coronavirus on the
employment sector, shifting our businesses on online platforms can be the best
portable solution.

We will add further information after acquiring the required data from
google forms and social media polls. 

Conclusion: 

Last, of all, the findings of this research clarified that a populated country
like Bangladesh, where unemployment is a common problem, there the impacts of
Covid-19 as well as social distancing policies leads the employment sector at risk.
People are losing their jobs daily, the economy is going down, and poverty is rising
up. 

References:

1. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/economic-ramifications-of-
covid-19-in-bangladesh-1588779315 
2. https://www.fairwear.org/covid-19-dossier/worker-engagement-and-
monitoring/country-specific-guidance/bangladesh/
3. https://tbsnews.net/economy/corona-could-hit-bangladeshs-
employment-sector-too-58609

Appendix (Sample Questionnaire): 

i)  What is the current situation at the participants' workplace?

ii) How are the participants managing their expenses during this quarantine?
iii) Is there any change in the participants' living standards because of
Coronavirus?
iv) Did the participants receive any relief from the government? If not, then are
they looking for an alternative job?
 Impacts of Coronavirus on Employment in Bangladesh

Term Paper:
Introduction:  
The sudden appearance of COVID-19 has left the world in distress. Every sector of
the economies worldwide is facing a downturn as growth attained in the past has
declined rapidly. Due to health concerns, people are unable to go to work. This has
led to an overall rise in the level of unemployment in Bangladesh. In this research
paper, we will highlight the several impacts of COVID-19 on employment in
Bangladesh.

Literature Review: 
An article titled "Economic Ramification of COVID-19 in Bangladesh" was
published in the Financial Express in May 2020. According to the article, the
poverty rate in Bangladesh would increase up to 40.9% during this pandemic
because the family incomes were estimated to fall by 25%. This has been
discovered in a survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. 

In Bangladesh, the effects of coronavirus caused a major lapse not only on

education, but also on the well-being of the population, society, and the economy
as a whole. The government has announced a lockdown to prevent further spread
of the virus and has gradually extended its duration. As a result, many businesses
have closed. There has been a decline in the manufacturing process, which has
reduced the demand for labor and forced workers to lose their jobs. Many
international buyers canceled their orders because of COVID-19, which had
created a bad effect on GDP. Several garments and factory workers had been laid
off, and the rest workers received half of their actual salaries. Like RMG, several
workers in other sectors had received less than their actual wages and lost around a
million jobs all over the nation. The government had already announced several
subsidy programs to support those affected families financially. 

Compilation of information from several online researches and articles stated the
severity of unemployment in Bangladesh and how workers got laid off from their
workplaces because of the economic downturn.

Research Questions: 
Several forms, including questionnaires, were given out to participants who were
willing to give us their valuable opinions. This research was conducted using the
quantitative method, where 15 people have given us their useful viewpoints.

Some sample questions that we asked:

i) What is the current situation at the participants' workplace?
ii)  How are the participants managing their expenses during this quarantine?

In this survey, it was acknowledged that there has been a drastic change in people's
living standards where two-third of our participants got laid-off, while the one-
third got a payment deduction of nearly 50%. This has forced people to look for
different alternatives to manage their expenses. In this research, the main problem
was the inability of our participants to earn enough money to finance their needs.
Even though they were financially stable prior to this pandemic, the lockdown had
an adverse effect on their lifestyles and, most importantly affected their income.
Some of our participants had mentioned their concerns of not being able to pay
their rent and other utility bills. “I saw everything change in front of my own eyes.
I went from affording luxuries to not being able to pay my own rent.” One of our
participants had mentioned. “I am not being able to feed my children properly, let
alone pay rent.” Said another participant.
Even though some of our participants received relief from the government, yet still
it was inadequate to fulfill their overall consumption. For alternative jobs, some of
our participants claimed that they started exchanging goods online but still found it
difficult to make sufficient money to manage the expenses of their basic
necessities. However, almost all of our participants emphasized on how the
government should step in and take appropriate measures to ensure that no citizen
starved to death. 

Methodology:  
We have created several polls on social media platforms such as Facebook and
Twitter. Several people have shared their opinions on the current situation of
unemployment in Bangladesh. Some of our participants are still in the workforce
while some were made redundant due this virus. Using those polls, we have
discovered that more than 40% of the middle-income workers have lost their jobs.
Those who work in manufacturing industries, the low-income workers have been
greatly affected by this pandemic because their wages have been deducted up to
50%.

Analysis and Discussion:

This research found out the difficulties affecting the lives around employed people
and their struggle in this delicate time. Undoubtedly everyone is facing a difficult
time but the people who are suffering the most are low- earning people. After
social distancing policies were implemented, most of the workers got laid off due
to a downfall in the whole production process. The low-income households
reported a complete loss of income. These people don't have any savings to keep
them supported for a long period. Due to this many people left their home, people
who used to live in cities to support their family in the village also left the city
many schools totally shut down because the teachers couldn't get their salary and
were forced to find alternative income sources. Many people are also suffering the
same, in our research question part when we ask them what alternative sources are,
some of them started crying, they told their family doesn't know that they are doing
labor work this type of work is against their pride.

social distancing broke the two main pillars that supported our economy. which is
the garment industry and remittance. According to the country‘s commerce
minister ―More than $2.6 billion worth of orders in Bangladesh’s garment sector
has been withdrawn and new cancellations are coming up. International
remittances normally represent around 7% of Bangladesh’s GDP. But the COVID-
19 pandemic is having an acute effect on Bangladeshi migrants abroad, who are
largely concentrated in countries with strict lockdown measures. Considering the
large volume of Bangladeshi migrants in the Middle East, secondary economic
impacts through depressed demand and falling oil prices will also likely add strain
to the flow of remittances. After some time many countries blocked their travel
route because many migrants can't go to their homes and the people who already
came home can’t go back.

Our government tried many things to combat the downfall of the economy. the
government tried to support vulnerable families through immediate emergency
cash transfers, and unemployment benefits. They also sent food and daily
essentials to the rural people through the army. The officials are trying their best to
combat this situation.

To get rid of the bad impacts of Coronavirus on the employment sector, shifting
our businesses on online platforms can be the best portable solution. To sustain the
economy cash needs to flow all the time 

Conclusion: 
Last of all, the findings of this research clarified that a populated country like
Bangladesh, where unemployment is a common problem, there the impacts of
Covid-19 as well as social distancing policies that leads the employment sector at
risk. People are losing their jobs daily, the economy is going down, and poverty is
rising up. 

References: 

1. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/economic-ramifications-of-covid-
19-in-bangladesh-1588779315 
2. https://www.fairwear.org/covid-19-dossier/worker-engagement-and-
monitoring/country-specific-guidance/bangladesh/
3. https://tbsnews.net/economy/corona-could-hit-bangladeshs-employment-
sector-too-58609

Appendix (Sample Questionnaire):

i)  What is the current situation at the participants' workplace?

ii) How are the participants managing their expenses during this quarantine?
iii) Is there any change in the participants' living standards because of
Coronavirus?
iv) Did the participants receive any relief from the government? If not, then are
they looking for an alternative job?

Group 06: 1) Humayra Usha ID.: 2019-3-10-014

2) Mohammad Sajjad Islam Shejan ID.: 2019-3-10-088
3) Sohan Hossain ID.: 2019-3-10-028