Investment in early-childhood care and education and long-term care services in Bangladesh could generate more than 7.0 million new jobs by 2035.
Out of the 7.0 million, more than 2.0 million direct jobs will be in childcare and more than 3.0 million in long-term care, while about 2.0 million will be indirect jobs in non-care sectors.
Anne Drong, national project coordinator at the International Labour Organisation (ILO), shared the statistics while presenting a keynote paper titled "Investing in Care: Unlocking Bangladesh's Economic and Social Potential" at the National Care Conclave 2026 held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka on Thursday.
ILO, UN Women, and Asian Development Bank (ADB), in coordination with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Ministry of Social Welfare, organised the day-long event.
The purpose was to identify the way forward in developing the national care economy through the establishment of a robust policy framework, including institutional provision for care entitlements, guidelines for quality care services, and decent work opportunities in care work in the country and abroad.
Drong said investment in the care policy package could reduce the gender gap in employment rates by 6.0 percentage points and increase women's employment rate to 44.1 per cent by 2035 from 35.5 per cent in 2019.
Gender pay gap could be reduced by 7.2 percentage points in monthly earnings from 9.0 per cent in 2019 to 1.8 per cent in 2035, she said.
To build a care system in the country, she suggested reforming and modernising care policy frameworks and service provision mechanisms, skills development, formal certification of care workers, and strengthening regulation and quality monitoring of care services.
UN Women Bangladesh Country Representative Gitanjali Singh stated, "The undervaluing and gendered division of care work (unpaid and paid) is one of the biggest drivers of gender inequality."
Investing in care systems was a triple win for women, society, and the economy, she said.
If women's time poverty reduced, more women would enter and stay in the labour market, while investments in the care sector would generate long-term dividends for human development, health, reduced poverty, and well-being of societies, she noted.
Speaking at a session, Women and Children Affairs Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain said, "Empowering women is a macroeconomic necessity. By redefining care as a shared responsibility rather than a workload borne solely by women, we are unlocking the full potential of our workforce for national prosperity."
State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin stressed formally recognising the care economy as a cornerstone of development.
Positioning care as a public priority ensured it would become a dignified, professionalised sector that would drive economic prosperity and empower women across Bangladesh, she noted. ILO Bangladesh Country Director Max Tunon said, "By transforming care from an invisible, private responsibility into a public policy priority, the government is unlocking a vital engine for economic prosperity and gender equality."
He expressed commitment to expanding quality and accessible childcare and long-term care services to address the evolving needs of society.
Nasheeba Selim, principal social development officer (gender) at ADB, said a continuum of care policies and care services was essential to guarantee that women and men could equally participate in the labour force and balance their care responsibilities.
Childcare and long-term care responsibilities constituted the key care responsibilities in most household setups, she said.
It was of relevance for care policies to ensure the best early start for children and income security for families, enabling women and men to maintain employment participation and helping to prevent them from falling into poverty, she said.
Speaking at another panel discussion, Social Welfare Secretary Mohammad Abu Yusuf said mindset and social stigma about the caregiver job, nursing, high service cost, long distance to receive services, high gap in demand and supply, and absence of the required regulatory authority were among the major challenges.
He said Bangladesh had many laws but the chronic issue was their effective implementation.
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