About 60 per cent workers of the country's textile and readymade garment (RMG) industry might lose their jobs due to automation despite a significant number of new types of jobs being created by 2041, according to a latest study.
According to the study, up to 0.5 million jobs are at risk at the operator level, including those handling single- and double-needle lockstitch machines, chain stitch machines and sewing machine mechanics.
Some 10,000 positions of floor supervisors and pattern makers with another 10,000 of quality control, production planning and merchandising might potentially disappear.
Even high-skilled roles, including additional 10,000 fashion designers, CAD-CAM operators, portfolio developers and production controllers are also at risk, according to the report.
Chief executive officer of iSocial Limited Ananya Raihan presented the findings of the study at a seminar at CIRDAP auditorium in the city on Saturday.
The two-day event titled "The 4th Industrial Revolution: Impact on Workers and Employment and the Need for Inclusive Policies" was organised by Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies (BILS) in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Mr Raihan, also an economist, said women workers with less education and workers with low-wage occupations are going to be affected most.
He, however, said new opportunities like computer aided process planning, quality control and training; automated inspection, material handling, fusing and pressing operators would emerge that combine technology with traditional manufacturing processes.
In 2022, the machine-to-human work ratio was 44 per cent and 66 per cent, he said, adding that by 2035, it is expected to shift to 57 per cent and 43 per cent.
The report also highlighted alarming job losses due to automation in other four major industries--furniture sector with projection of 60 per cent job losses, followed by agro-food processing industry 40 per cent, leather sector 35 per cent and the tourism sector 20 per cent.
Key emerging occupations include professionals skilled in computer-aided process planning, quality control and training, as well as those working with automated inspection and material handling systems, it said.
According to the report, jobs such as artificial neural network experts, pick-and-place robot operators, numerical controllers, and automated fusing and pressing machine operators are becoming increasingly important.
Enterprise resource planning experts are also in demand to optimise production and resource management, according to the report.
The study revealed that jobs in customer service, retail checkout, data entry, assembly lines and translation are increasingly replaced by technology.
Financial analysis, graphic design, content writing, supply chain management, legal counselling and accounting jobs have also started to be lost.
Meanwhile, the fastest-growing jobs from 2023 to 2027 included AI and machine learning specialists, sustainability specialists, business intelligence analysts, information security analysts, fintech engineers, data analysts and scientists, robotics engineers, big data specialists, agricultural equipment operators, and digital transformation specialists.
The study found bank tellers, postal clerks, editors, cashiers, data entry clerks, secretaries, accounting staff, legislators, finance clerks and door-to-door sales workers as fastest-declining jobs from 2023 to 2027.
Labour leaders and experts stressed the urgent need for government actions to protect, upskill and reemploy workers facing both short- and long-term risks from the 4th industrial revolution.
They called for the involvement of workers, trade unions, employers, and civil society in this process highlighting skill development as a key priority, requiring strategic planning for successful implementation.
Speaking there, labour secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman said Bangladesh must align itself with the global shift towards the 4th IR stressing that now is the time to make necessary preparations.
He further underscored the importance of making timely policy decisions to mitigate the risks to workers' employment arising from the 4IR while also leveraging technology to benefit the country.
Information and Communication Technology division additional secretary Abu Sayed Md Kamruzzaman said that it was crucial to define the term 'worker' accurately and establish ethical standards for the use of artificial intelligence.
Presided over by BILS Vice Chairman Md Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan, BILS executive director Syed Sultanuddin Ahmed made opening remarks.
NCCW chairman Badal Khan, Samajtantrik Sramik Front president Rajequzzaman Ratan, former general manager and IT expert of Janata Bank Chayanul Haque Chayan, BILS vice-chairmen Anwar Hossain and Amirul Haque Amin, among others, also spoke there.
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