The Bangladesh textile and apparel industry will see a massive increase in automation to adept and sustain with the other apparel manufacturing countries. Rubana Huq, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) thinks as the Bangladesh RMG industry adepts more and more automation this will create a mammoth challenge for the apparel workers. Especially for females, as they need to be skilled and reskilled so that they can continue to make contributions to this important business in the time of automation. In a recent virtual program on “Women Power – the Force Multiplier” organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham), Rubana Huq expressed her thoughts as a panelist. By 2023, around 25% of readymade garment (RMG) manufacturing factories will adept automation. Up from the current 8%, forecasted Rubana Huq. Rubana said this is because the RMG industry has already entered the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0) and is seeing the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). Huq said, “Education is the answer when it comes to the question of how female RMG workers can be aided in this scenario. And diverse platforms need to distribute education for skilling the enormous number of female workers, as they have been tremendously contributing to the industry.” The COVID-19 pandemic has globally impacted all walks of life including female workers and entrepreneurs. Speakers in the virtual event said some 80% of enterprises owned by females have been affected as part of the consequences of the pandemic as most of those are cottage, micro, small and medium ones, which have been hit hard.
