Bangladesh has a huge potential to be the world leader in outsourcing online jobs if skilled human resources is increased to a substantial number.
Experts say that Bangladesh already stands in the second position in terms of outsourcing online jobs but due to a lack of adequate skilled manpower, the country is still far behind the number one position in the global market.
Bangladesh Freelancer Development Society Chairman Dr Tanjiba Rahman told Bangladesh Post, “Bangladesh ranks second in freelancing income and its growth is 27 percent. Outsourcing has a market of USD 1 trillion per year in the world. Our earning from this sector is 1 billion dollars but there is a possibility to take this to USD 5 billion per year. To meet this target, the number of freelancers needs to increase fivefold.
Near about seven lakh people have changed their fate depending on outsourcing and many more people are adding to this sector every day.
Silent revolution is taking place in this outsourcing sector. According to the 2019 report of the World Economic Forum, Bangladesh now ranks second in providing online service. The number of freelancers in the IT sector in Bangladesh is six lakh, which is about 26 percent of the world. Due to this Bangladesh is in second place in this sector. India is in the first position in terms of the number of freelancers.
According to the 2019 Digital Economy Report, freelancers’ earnings were USD 100 million in Bangladesh. Experts said if all the high-tech parks and other infrastructure related to the development of the sector are completed, a revolution will take place.
They have also suggested that in order to take the country’s ongoing growth in the IT sector in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is necessary to create skilled human resources and create new jobs in the IT sector.
Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) President Syed Almas Kabir told Bangladesh Post, “The amount we are earning through freelancing would increase severalfold once the all high tech parks construction in the country are completed. We are closely working with authorities concerned regarding this.”
“There is near about 11 crore internet users in the country. Of these, 94 percent use mobile internet and only six percent use broadband internet. Broadband internet should be spread to the marginal level. We need to focus on creating skilled manpower. This skill must be based on the new technologies that came around the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Such as blockchain, robotics, artificial design,” he added.
Freelancers are earning hundreds of dollars sitting in the village with training under the ICT Department's Learning and Learning Development Project. The use of digital media is increasing day by day in the country.
According to the central bank, remittances to the country in August this year amounted to USD 1.61 billion dollars which was USD 1.87 billion in July.
Millions of young people have entered the remittance war from the country to increase the remittances of the country with the expatriates. Working as a freelancer, they are bringing in their earned foreign currency through online transfers.
As a result, besides becoming self-sufficient they are also contributing to remittance earnings.
“As the ecosystem has not yet been created in the telecommunications services sector, huge potential is not being exploited in this sector. Human resource development and implementation of e-governance is now a big challenge. We hope that in the next one to two years, Bangladesh will be a 100 percent user of technology,” said president of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Users Association Mohiuddin Ahmed.