Over the past five years employment generated by the Bangladesh garment sector has reduced drastically. One reason is the rapid automation of production compounded with the closure of factories that were found noncompliant with safety and other regulations. One machine replaces at least ten workers.

In 2013, there were some 44 lakh workers in the garment sector whereas currently there are only 38 lakh workers in this sector.

The trend is more pronounced in the woolens sector with sweater manufacturers increasingly opting for complete automation to cut down their cost of production. This substantially reduces their dependence on workers.

However the replacement of workers by machines or automation has by and large succeeded in displacing unskilled and semi-skilled workers. So far, factories have not retrenched their skilled work-force.

The other factor that influenced this shedding of workers is the immobility of labor. Several factories shifted to other areas subsequent to the Rana Plaza disaster. The workers expressed their inability to shift base and enter into the workforce of other sectors.

The drive for automation was also influenced by the manufacture of value-added garments like suits, blazers, lingerie and sportswear. Manufacturing high-end garments needs a level of sophistication that cannot be contributed by manual labor.