Around 40 pc of Bangladesh’s workforce at risk from AI and automation, report warns

Ah, Bangladesh. A country where the garment industry employs millions, the tech sector grows at double digits, and now a report helpfully points out that 40% of the workforce is staring down the barrel of AI and automation. And, in a touch of predictability that borders on parody, women are particularly vulnerable. Because why would women, who already face wage gaps, harassment, and limited career mobility, get a pass on the robot apocalypse?

The report, breathlessly disseminated by Telangana Today, urges reforms in skills training and education. Because that worked so well for the textile workers who lost jobs to cheaper competitors last decade. The grand plan: retrain millions of workers, many with limited literacy, into AI-proof roles—presumably as prompt engineers and yoga instructors. The government, known for its bureaucratic patience, is sure to set up a few committees. Expect a white paper by 2030.

The report is a warning, but warnings are only useful if anyone listens. My money is on the women losing their jobs first, getting retrained as data labelers for 50 cents a day, and then being automated out of that too. Cheers to progress—Bangladeshi style.