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Garment sector provides highest job opportunities in COVID-19

16 Apr 2021 12:20:23 | Update: 17 Apr 2021 16:00:51
Garment sector provides highest job opportunities in COVID-19
UNB file photo

Mizanur Rahman

While the unemployment rate is increasing, the apparel sector, the largest job provider, is offering the highest number of employment opportunities in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysing two job portals data, The Business Post found that the highest number of employment opportunities is being offered by the garment and textile industries.

In the leading job portal of the country, bdjobs.com, there were highest 505 jobs at 6:00 pm on Thursday for the apparel sector while information technology offered the second-highest 22 job opportunities. 

Though there was a job cut in the labour segment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the RMG sector was hiring merchandiser, designer, quality controller, marketing officer, product development officer, compliance officer and welfare officer.

Data showed mentionable job circulars in this sector in other job portals as well. Job portal job.com.bd has 208 jobs in 13 categories, where the garments segment has 15 jobs.  

This new employment is aimed at meeting the demands for ongoing projects and new projects, said the sector people.

Analysis showed that manufacturers are also hiring for some new segments like research and development.  

“Usually, we had to recruit for higher production but now the pattern has changed as the fashion industry is going through a transformation,” Fazle Shamim Ehsan, a director of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) told The Business Post.

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sales of clothing products through the online marketplace went sharply up. To cater for this, they need more technically sound employees and hiring for that, said Shamim, also the owners of Fatullah Apparels.

Efficiency has fallen in recent time and to improve the sector is recruiting more officials for managerial posts, he said, adding that they had to fill in the positions left vacant by employees, who quit jobs fearing a COVID-19 infection.

“I have made an investment over Tk 400 crore and to meet the demand we are recruiting new employees for managerial positions in different categories,” SM Khaled, Managing Director of Snowtex, told The Business Post.

“From our experience, we are finding young, educated people more adaptive to any kind of technology or production process. That is why I am recruiting fresh graduates and they are delivering better services within a shorter span of time,” said Khaled.

Khaled added that in recent times the sector needs more educated people to lead it as per the requirements of the global buyers as they are oriented to the latest fashion trends and technologies. 

According to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) data, the RMG sector, the $28 billion industry employs over 44 lakh people of which 65 per cent are women, mostly from the rural area. 

The bdjobs.com showed 143 jobs in Government/Semi-govt./Autonomous sector, 198 in Manufacturing (Heavy Industry) sector, 217 in NGO/Development sector, 168 jobs in hospital/diagnostic Centre.

The Wholesale/Retail/Export-Import sector has 109 postings for a different position.

Other’s categories are Architecture /Engineering/Construction (70), Agro based Industry (49), Automobile/Industrial Machine (30), Bank/Non-Bank Fin. Institution (77), Education (105), Electronics/Consumer Durables (43), Energy/Power/Fuel (40), Pharmaceuticals (79), Airline/ Travel/ Tourism (13), Manufacturing (Light Industry) (28), Hotel/Restaurant (24), Logistics/ Transportation (27), Entertainment/ Recreation (0), Media / Advertising/ Event Mgt. (33), Real Estate/Development (94), Telecommunication (24), Food & Beverage Industry (17), Security Service (2), Fire, Safety & Protection (2) and others (432).

Countries popular job portal bdjobs.com has 26 categories for a job posting. On Friday, at 12:00 pm the portal showed a total number of 2,600 jobs posting from about 1,421 companies, with 157 new positions added in one day.

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