In South Asia, three-quarters of workers depend on informal employment. The informal economy of Bangladesh constitutes of 86.2 per cent of the total employed population (aged 15 years or older) (Labour Force Survey, 2015-2016). The proportion of informal employment is higher for females compared to their male counterparts, at 95.4 per cent and 82.3 per cent, respectively. Further, the poor are more likely to be employed in informal sectors such as agriculture (mostly as labourers), construction, and transport. It thus shows how closely related the lives of the poor are to the informal sectors of the economy and how critical employment in these sectors is for poverty reduction and women’s economic empowerment.
In South Asia, three-quarters of workers depend on informal employment. The informal economy of Bangladesh constitutes of 86.2 per cent of the total employed population (aged 15 years or older) (Labour Force Survey, 2015-2016). The proportion of informal employment is higher for females compared to their male counterparts, at 95.4 per cent and 82.3 per cent, respectively. Further, the poor are more likely to be employed in informal sectors such as agriculture (mostly as labourers), construction, and transport. It thus shows how closely related the lives of the poor are to the informal sectors of the economy and how critical employment in these sectors is for poverty reduction and women’s economic empowerment.
