The Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), in collaboration with the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh and the Sylhet Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SWCCI), organized a day-long “Awareness Raising Session on Employment Formalization for Informal Enterprises” on 12th March 2026 at the Conference Hall of Hotel Valley Garden in Subhani Ghat, Sylhet. The session aimed to engage informal and semi-formal enterprises to better understand how they currently manage their workers and to explore the reasons behind their hesitation to formalize employment practices.
The program was facilitated by Mr. Joha Rahman, Head of Training at BEF. He outlined the training objectives and expected outcomes, utilizing participatory methods to create an interactive and engaging learning experience for the attendees.
The inaugural session was chaired by Mr. Ruman Ishtiak, Project Officer at the ILO Dhaka Office. He welcomed the participants and opened the discussion by sharing private-sector insights on why formalization matters. He highlighted key motivators that could encourage enterprises to formalize—such as buyer requirements, access to finance, simplified tools, and incentives. Furthermore, he helped prioritize a set of challenges and solutions, identifying the specific policy, technical, and institutional support required.
A total of 20 participants (18 female, 2 male) from priority industry sectors took part in this unique learning opportunity. The session was specifically tailored for representatives from the Agro-processing, RMG, Construction, Medical, and Services sectors.
