According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the coronavirus pandemic has triggered massive job losses, especially for women, in the readymade garment sector of Bangladesh.
On account of future order cancellations and customer refusals to pay for current orders, more than a million garment workers in Bangladesh have already been dismissed or furloughed, indicate recent surveys, underlined the WTO, as per information note of Geneva-based secretariat of which, orders received by garment manufacturing units in Bangladesh declined by 45.8 per cent over the first quarter of 2020.
What’s more, around 81 per cent contraction was experienced in April alone, it said.
Titled ‘The effects of COVID-19 on Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector’, a box item in the information note pointed out that there was a marked effect on employment subsequent to contraction in demand and order cancellations.
Further, an information note, titled ‘The economic impact of COVID-19 on women in vulnerable sectors and economies’, maintained that subsequent to order cancellations and temporary closure of retail shops, many garment manufacturing units in countries such as Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia had to shut down operations thereby causing substantial job loss.
