It is good to note that the country’s e-commerce sector has generated one lakh jobs during this Coronavirus pandemic. We believe soon this sector will play a big role in the country’s economic growth alongside creating employment opportunities.
The country is now the second largest supplier of online labour in the world, with a 16 per cent share of the global online workforce. Currently, there are 2,000 web-based entrepreneurs and up to 50,000 Facebook-centric entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.
Our country’s workers in the digital platform economy are working from their own motivation without having proper training. Therefore, we think Bangladesh’s vast young population will get more benefit from the digital platform economy if they are trained properly.
We need to create an
enabling environment
for the e-commerce to grow
While the economic downturn is going on all over the world and many businesses are facing serious difficulties due to the Covid-19 crisis, e-commerce has created an opportunity to start a new business.
Recently, business opportunities along with the number of online workers from Bangladesh have increased in various digital platforms, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Centre for Policy Dialogue’s study on Monday says, adding around 500,000 jobs are likely to be created through digital platforms in the next one year.
The role of digital platforms in the global as well as Bangladesh economy is gradually increasing as one of the key aspects of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). In line with the improvements in access to the internet and the increase in the availability of smartphones, Bangladesh has seen rapid growth in digital platforms.
However, many digital platforms need improvement in their strategic approach and customer services. The entrepreneurs should be cautious and dynamic in ensuring the quality of the product, timely delivery of the services, efficient management of the inventory, flexible return policy and overall transparency.
We need to create an enabling environment for the e-commerce to grow. Also, all the challenges have to be resolved through collective efforts, policy support and through building an environment of trust.
