Name: Mohammad Mydul Islam

Roll: 2023031053

Group: 3

Alternative Employment for Low Income People in Bangladesh in COVID-19

The Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) has created devastating negative impacts on the regular
livelihood of the low income people in Bangladesh. Many people working in the private sector or
as day to day earner have lost their job and income due to the ongoing pandemic. Unemployment
and poverty among the people in both urban and rural areas throughout the country have
increased. The success in economic growth in the last few decades could not save poor people to
become extreme poor because economic prosperity was not inclusive in Bangladesh.

The substantial progress in household income and poverty reduction during the last few decades
is in a risk due to income losses of the poor. The poor or low income people are affected much in
the agricultural sector, export-oriented readymade garments and other labor sectors of the
economy.

For the slower demand social distancing measures, the construction workers, rickshaw pullers,
day laborers and owners of small grocery stores are in a great danger of income loss. The
households engaged in informal services and labor-intensive activities.

Particularly, the poor segment of the population who have very small or no saving at all is the
worst victim of the economic meltdown. It is estimated that COVID-19 has pushed 16.5 million
people mainly rickshaw-pullers, transport workers, day laborers, street-vendors, hawkers,
construction laborers and the employees of hotel, motel and restaurants back into poverty (Islam
& Jahangir, 2020)1. I found that 20 million people who solely rely on the informal sector jobs for
their livelihood have already lost their jobs and become temporarily unemployed due to the
measures taken by the government to contain the spread of the corona disease virus. Riaz (2020)2

For the alternative source of jobs I will suggest some emerging and available jobs for the poor or
low income people.

1
Islam, R., Jahangir, A.R, https://unb.com.bd/category/special/corona-fallout-spells-disaster-for-
millions-of-poor-bangladeshis-economists/48533 ,Accessed on 27th July 2021.
2
Riaz, A., https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/bangladeshs-covid-19-stimulus-
leaving-the-most-vulnerable-behind/, Accessed on 27th July 2021.
1. People from rural area can cultivate land, hachuring fish, rearing cow and goat, and farming
village chicken. They can perform our honorable prime minister project “Ekti bari ekti khamar”.

2. Village people also can involve in emergency food delivery activity as we have seen
vegetables and others foods price increased much due to pandemic.

3. Village people can utilize the demand and instant price hike of onions and they can involve
cultivating spice also for the upcoming demand.

4. Urban lower income people have to switch their jobs because we know that maximum
informal jobs are in danger due to pandemic situation. They can involve in ecommerce related
jobs like food delivery, medicine delivery, and emergency product delivery.

5. Some products has much demand due to this pandemic situation like grocery shop, medicine
supply, vegetable or fish market, technological supply or computer repairing center. So, urban
areas people can easily involve this alternative opportunities.