Employment in Bangladesh

Work Permits for Bangladesh

All foreign nationals seeking paid employment in Bangladesh must be in possession of a valid work permit. Bangladeshi people are given priority of employment and these permits are usually considered for work that local experts are unavailable or unable to do the work.

Three different government bodies are in charge of issuing work permits for Bangladesh. The Board of Investment issues work permits for industrial enterprise, branch office and liaison office jobs in the private sector that are outside of the Processing Zone. Employment of expats in the export promotion zones, which include investment opportunities, proposals and reports, are handled by the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA). For work in any non-governmental organization in Bangladesh, foreigners will be issued a work permit by the NGO Affairs Bureau.

In order to be issued with a work permit, the Bangladeshi embassy must be supplied with a letter of employment from the business in Bangladesh and a confirmation letter of concurrence from the relevant governing body (either BOI, BEPZA or NGOAB). More information and advice can be obtained from the nearest Bangladeshi embassy or from the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Job Hunting in Bangladesh

The best place for expats to look for a job in Bangladesh is online. There is a huge number of online job portals that list numerous vacancies and opportunities to suit all levels of skill and experience in a wide selection of sectors. Most of the job search websites in Bangladesh are very user-friendly and easy to use, and many are in English. Some of the most popular websites with a very high success rate of employment are BD jobs, Prothom Alo and bd news 24.

As well as this, it is well worth keeping an eye on local newspapers such as Ittefaq and the Dhaka Tribune. These are local newspapers distributed throughout the capital city, Dhaka, but all of the major cities in Bangladesh will have local papers with helpful, regularly updated job listing sections.

Many expats find gainful employment by making essential contacts in Bangladesh through networking sites such as LinkedIn and headhunting portals, for example, Manpower Bangladesh.

Income Taxation in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, income tax is collected from individuals and applies to a range of sources of income including wages from work, pensions, investment interest and dividends. Expats permanently residing in Bangladesh are taxed on income earned from working in Bangladesh, wherever it is paid, and on foreign income that is received from Bangladeshi sources. Non-residents are only taxed on income received or accrued in Bangladesh.

Males and females pay different rates of income tax in Bangladesh. Anyone other than female taxpayers and citizens above 65 years of age is not eligible to pay any tax on earnings below 220,000 BDT. Earnings of 300,000 BDT are taxed at 20% and incomes above this amount are charged 25% income tax. Women are charged no tax up to 250,000 BDT, 10% on the next 300,000, 20% on the next 300,000 and then 25% for any higher income.