The Bangladeshi garment sector after the COVID-19 lockdown: A cautious return to normality?

Through surveys of female workers at 3 of the largest garment factories, it is clear that COVID-19 had a negative impact on the sector

From:: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published: 16 September 2020

Country:: Bangladesh
Document Type:: Research Paper
Theme:: Economic Growth
Authors:: Czura, K, Menzel, A and Miotto, M

Abstract

Through surveys of female workers at 3 of the largest garment factories in Bangladesh, it is clear that COVID-19 has had a strong negative impact on the sector. Employment and earnings both fell significantly from pre-lockdown levels. However, the high proportion of workers now having returned to the sector indicates that the shock may have been more temporary in nature. This is positive news for larger, modern factories, however, it is suspected that smaller factories will fare worse.

This work is part of the Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries (PEDL) programme

Citation

Czura, K., Menzel, A. and Miotto, M. “The Bangladeshi garment sector after the COVID-19 lockdown: A cautious return to normality?” PEDL C-19 Note