Fourth Industrial Revolution is hear. Rapid increase in digitization, robotization, and intelligent automation has a significant impact on the current and future labour market. This will certainly create huge new job opportunities while billions of jobs will be threatened. The World Economic Forum (WEF) claimed that about 800 million people worldwide could lose their jobs by 2030, while approximately 5.7 million unskilled Bangladeshis would be sacked from their jobs abroad and at home due to a lack of technological skills. For example, in 2013, the RMG sector employed about 4.4 million workers in Bangladesh, a figure that dropped significantly to about 3.5 million by 2018. It is argued that one machine can potentially lay off 10 workers. What will happen to developing countries like Bangladesh? Will we be able to generate enough job opportunities in our own country?
Since Bangladesh is a densely populated country with a strong demographic dividend, we must grab this comparative advantage of demographic dividend and transform this huge young population into capable human resources for national development through appropriate technical and vocational education training and various other skill development programs.
It is high time for the authorities to take stern policies to transform this huge young population into human capital and to promote technology-driven jobs. Otherwise, 4IR will be a curse instead of a blessing for us. This will create huge unemployment and widen income inequality, leading to unprecedented social and political unrest. Therefore, we urge policy-makers, the public, private sectors, trade unions, and civil society organizations to work together.
Bangladesh entered the digital world a little late compared to India, but made significant improvement in this sector as our current government took some prudent and timely decisions that helped us to minimise the gap and keep us on the right track.One such initiative is the establishment of digital centres through a2i programme, which connect and serve citizens especially those who are under served. From these centres,citizens can get public, private and information services in a more transparent, accountable and efficient manner. Operated by two local entrepreneurs, one male and one female, under a public-private partnership model, these centres charge fees for delivering e-services that enable the entrepreneurs to operate the centre.Although the male entrepreneurs are prominent in most of the centres, some of the female entrepreneurs are surpassing them in various places and occasions. It has always been difficult for women to penetrate traditionally male dominated sectors.Being a predominantly Muslim country,it is even more complicated in Bangladesh. Fortunately, our government is patronising women to become entrepreneurs and run businesses through digital centres. Before starting their businesses, government provided women training on computer basics, freelancing, MIS, graphics design and web development. Along with the digital centres, most of these female entrepreneurs also run computer training centres in some of the most remote areas of the country.
Through these digital and computer training centres, female entrepreneurs are reducing the skill-gaps in the IT sector. They are preparing us to face the challenges that automation poses.
With efforts of the government, private sector, workforce and intellectuals, Bangladesh will take up the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Since Bangladesh is a densely populated country with a strong demographic dividend, we must grab this comparative advantage of demographic dividend and transform this huge young population into capable human resources for national development through appropriate technical and vocational education training and various other skill development programs.
It is high time for the authorities to take stern policies to transform this huge young population into human capital and to promote technology-driven jobs. Otherwise, 4IR will be a curse instead of a blessing for us. This will create huge unemployment and widen income inequality, leading to unprecedented social and political unrest. Therefore, we urge policy-makers, the public, private sectors, trade unions, and civil society organizations to work together.
Bangladesh entered the digital world a little late compared to India, but made significant improvement in this sector as our current government took some prudent and timely decisions that helped us to minimise the gap and keep us on the right track.One such initiative is the establishment of digital centres through a2i programme, which connect and serve citizens especially those who are under served. From these centres,citizens can get public, private and information services in a more transparent, accountable and efficient manner. Operated by two local entrepreneurs, one male and one female, under a public-private partnership model, these centres charge fees for delivering e-services that enable the entrepreneurs to operate the centre.Although the male entrepreneurs are prominent in most of the centres, some of the female entrepreneurs are surpassing them in various places and occasions. It has always been difficult for women to penetrate traditionally male dominated sectors.Being a predominantly Muslim country,it is even more complicated in Bangladesh. Fortunately, our government is patronising women to become entrepreneurs and run businesses through digital centres. Before starting their businesses, government provided women training on computer basics, freelancing, MIS, graphics design and web development. Along with the digital centres, most of these female entrepreneurs also run computer training centres in some of the most remote areas of the country.
Through these digital and computer training centres, female entrepreneurs are reducing the skill-gaps in the IT sector. They are preparing us to face the challenges that automation poses.
With efforts of the government, private sector, workforce and intellectuals, Bangladesh will take up the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Comments
Post a Comment