Labour

At least 16 people were killed and several others injured after a massive fire engulfed a garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse in Dhaka’s Mirpur area on Tuesday, October 14, exposing once again the fragile state of industrial safety in Bangladesh’s most vital economic sector.

According to the investment bank, India is on course to achieve average annual GDP growth of 6 to 6.5 per cent over the next decade – one of the fastest rates globally. However, this pace may not be enough to meet the employment aspirations of the country’s rapidly expanding working-age population, which will swell by nearly 100 million over the next ten years.

The report’s broader poverty measure underscores how deeply structural pressures are squeezing households. The poverty rate – nearly 28 per cent – has jumped significantly in just three years.

While male participation in the labour market remained largely steady, dipping only slightly from 48.1 million to 48.0 million, female participation plunged more markedly – from 25.3 million in 2023 to 23.7 million in 2024.

ndia has witnessed a near doubling of its women’s employment rate between 2017-18 and 2023-24 – rising from 22 per cent to 40.3 per cent, according to recent data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey.

The decision has drawn fire not only for protecting the accused, but also for potentially emboldening malicious actors.

Nepal’s brick industry – valued at several million dollars and employing approximately 300,000 workers – thrives during its limited work season.