The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in a report mentioned with appreciation the contribution of the readymade garment (RMG) sector to the country’s recent robust economic growth.The RMG, which suffered a big jolt from a building collapse in 2013, already made significant headway with support from the ILO and other development organizations and global retailers.The apparel sector maintained its top position among the leading export sectors with 5.0 percent growth and over $22 billion earnings during January-November period in 2014, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).The ILO, in its report titled “World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2015 (WESO)”, released in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday,said Bangladesh had been able to maintain robust economic growth rates in recent years due to strong growth in exports driven by the garment industry.The report also attributed the growth to the remittance from overseas workers saying that Bangladesh economy had grown around 6.0 percent for an extended period due to strong domestic demand fuelled by the remittance inflows. As of December 26, 2014 Bangladeshi people living overseas sent home $14.71 billion, which was 11.27 percent higher on year-on-year basis.Besides the economic growth, the ILO report said that Bangladesh and many countries in the region reduced the extent of extreme poverty with effective antipoverty focus adopted in national development plans.
