Employment in Bangladesh

People find jobs in Bangladesh through direct applications, personal networks, local or private job platforms and agencies. Government vacancies may appear through Smart Job, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission or separate government application portals, each with its own notice and deadline. Overseas employment uses Bangladesh Manpower, Employment and Training and the state-owned Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited, or a recruitment agency licensed and recorded through BMET's RAIMS; migration and visa rules are separate from domestic employment rules. The Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, including the 2026 amendment, and the Bangladesh Labour Rules, 2015, including later amendments, provide the main national framework. Government offices and constitutional services may follow separate service rules, and some family businesses without paid workers and sector-specific categories may fall outside particular provisions. The 2026 reform expands several legal categories, including domestic workers and seafarers, and changes parts of trade-union eligibility, so the applicable provision and current rules need checking. An employer may not employ a worker without a niyogpotro, or appointment letter. The employer also provides a photograph-based ID card and keeps a service book at the employer's expense. The law recognises categories such as learner, substitute, temporary, casual, apprentice, permanent and seasonal workers. Probation normally lasts six months for clerical work and three months for other work; a skilled worker may receive an additional three months where the rules allow it. If the employer does not confirm the worker after the applicable period, the worker can become permanent under the relevant rule. A wage period cannot exceed one month, and the employer generally pays wages within seven working days after that period ends. Payment may use cash, cheque, bank transfer or electronic funds transfer. Employers may make only deductions permitted by law. Bangladesh has no single national minimum wage for all employment; the Minimum Wage Board sets sector-specific rates, which require checking against the relevant sector order and establishment. The Board reviews minimum wages under the statutory framework at intervals that can include three years. Normal working time is generally limited to eight hours a day and 48 hours a week, while total working time can reach 60 hours in a week within the legal framework and averages no more than 56 hours a week over a year. Overtime normally pays twice the ordinary wage. Weekly and festival holidays apply under the statutory rules, and the spread of working hours has its own limits. A woman may work between 22:00 and 06:00 only with her consent under the stated rule. Common paid leave includes up to 10 casual days, 14 sick days and 13 festival holidays per year, while earned leave depends on the sector and length of service. Maternity leave and benefit generally cover 120 days, normally 60 days before and 60 days after birth, when the worker has at least six months of service. The benefit uses average wages and requires compliance with payment and documentary conditions. Restrictions can apply where the worker already has two or more surviving children, and the law protects against termination without sufficient cause during the protected maternity period. Employers have duties relating to occupational safety, welfare, accident reporting and compensation. Workers are entitled to a safe workplace, suitable protective equipment, safety training and access to medical support as required by the applicable rules. A workplace injury may involve the employer, the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments or a Labour Court, depending on the facts. Central Fund, employment injury and welfare payments apply only to covered categories and schemes, not automatically to every kind of work. Workers may form or join a trade union, and anti-union discrimination and unfair labour practices are prohibited. The Department of Labour registers trade unions, including through online procedures, but eligibility, collective bargaining and collective agreements depend on the establishment and sector. Export processing zones follow the Bangladesh EPZ Labour Act, 2019 and EPZ Labour Rules, 2022. There, the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority supervises the regime, and a Workers' Welfare Association can replace the ordinary trade-union path; its application threshold is generally 20% of permanent workers under the applicable Act. EPZ wages and benefits follow separate rules, including the 2023 minimum-wage structure and the 10% annual increase gazetted in 2025. Employment can end through resignation, employer termination, retirement or another lawful separation. For a permanent worker, employer notice is generally 120 days for monthly-paid work and 60 days otherwise; temporary-worker notice is generally 30 days for monthly-paid work and 14 days otherwise. Payment in lieu of notice may be possible. Permanent termination generally involves compensation of 30 days' wages for each completed year or a higher gratuity where applicable. A permanent worker generally gives 60 days' notice to resign, while temporary workers give 30 days or 14 days depending on their wage arrangement. Retirement normally occurs at 60, and the employer should return the service book. Final wages and other dues generally fall due within 30 working days after employment ends. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments handles inspections, occupational safety and health matters, and complaints through LIMA, its online complaint system. Its worker helpline is 16357. A worker can seek lawful dues or settlement under section 124A during employment or after it ends, and filing a complaint or requesting an investigation does not carry a fee. Anonymous complaints may be accepted, but recovering an individual's wages normally requires identification or disclosure. LIMA covers matters such as unpaid wages, dismissal, working time, leave, safety, maternity, harassment and child labour. Labour Court and then the Labour Appeal Tribunal may be available, with deadlines depending on the specific claim. Keeping the appointment letter, ID card, service book details, wage records, attendance evidence, notices and payment records is especially useful because many workers operate without complete written records.