As Bangladesh’s labour market undergoes rapid transformation through automation, artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and structural economic change, preparing for the future of work requires more than anticipating technological shifts—it requires policies that enable workers and institutions to adapt.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) examines these challenges in its policy brief, ‘Is Bangladesh Ready for the Future of Work?’. The brief assesses Bangladesh’s readiness for these changes through a foresight approach combining horizon scanning, stakeholder consultations, and a Delphi-based scenario-building exercise. It presents four plausible labour market scenarios for 2035, exploring how the digital economy and changing social aspirations could shape the future of work.

The brief highlights the need for proactive and adaptive policies on skills development, employment, social protection, and labour market governance to ensure that Bangladesh’s transition is inclusive and resilient—particularly for women, youth, persons with disabilities, and workers in vulnerable forms of employment.

The publication was developed under CPD’s grantee project ‘Life After Life: Future of Work in Bangladesh,’ supported through the FutureWORKS Asia initiative, part of the FutureWORKS Collective, a global effort supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Read the full Policy Brief to explore the possible futures of Bangladesh’s labour market.