Increasing Knowledge and Capacity of Home-based Workers

A home-based worker refers to an employee who performs his or her job from home, rather than in a designated workspace at any employer’s site. Home-based work is a growing global phenomenon with over 100 million people working from their homes. The number of home-based workers is estimated to be around 50 million in South Asian countries. They perform their responsibilities and tasks from home and usually stay in contact with their employers via phone or orally. This type of arrangement has traditionally been rare but is now becoming popular due to the use of new communication methods. From a human resources perspective, these home-based workers help save companies thousands of dollars a year since the company does not need to provide workspace, job materials, or other amenities, but only pay a piece rate for the products.

In Bangladesh, 71 percent of all women workers, compared to 20 percent of all male workers, are home-based. The number of home-based workers in Bangladesh is likely under-reported due to the informal nature of their work and inadequate recognition by the government. They lack collective bargaining skills and knowledge about OSH and social protection. Besides, they face problems of exploitation, low wages, and a lack of secure contracts. In addition, they have to pay for many of the non-wage costs of production, such as space and storage costs, utilities, and equipment costs, etc. Therefore, BLF has implemented this project in Keraniganj, Dhaka, from January 2022 to December 2022. BLF runs this project with its own funds, covering 250 women, to eradicate these gaps and capacitate these home-based workers. The project components include OSH, GBV, and Organizing.