Bangladesh

Abstract With structural changes in production coupled with technological progress, there have been shifts in modes of production and patterns of employment, with important consequences on the task composition of occupations. This chapter utilizes different rounds of Labour Force Survey data for Bangladesh and combined it with occupation network data for the US along with its country-specific database and analysed the role of such factors on labour market outcomes. Our analysis shows a fall in the average routine intensity of tasks with no evidence of job polarization. We find a decline in earnings inequality where the decomposition analysis shows that an earnings structure effect rather than a characteristics effect plays a key role, with the routine-task intensity of jobs and education explaining the majority of differences in earnings. Our analysis suggests that investing in education should be the highest priority, with a greater emphasis on skill-biased training programmes, particularly those involving cognitive skill.