Innovision Consulting’s report IMPACT OF COVID-19: Low-income Professions reveals the severe hardship faced by millions of vulnerable workers during the lockdown. Bus and truck drivers, construction workers, rickshaw pullers, housemaids, three-wheeler drivers, carpenters, agricultural labourers, and small restaurant owners saw their personal income drop by 83% while overall household income fell by 78%. Only 6% managed to find any alternative work.
According to Innovision’s field data, households faced a "survival gap" where cash reserves could only cover an average of eight days of expenses. Housemaids were the most vulnerable, with a mere three-day safety net, while bus and truck drivers maintained the longest runway at 15 days.
To cope, 94% of respondents drastically cut spending on protein-rich food items (normally BDT 3,259 monthly), nearly halving their expenses. Another 89% also reduced non-protein food spending, with many considering skipping meals entirely.
Innovision Consulting urged immediate targeted interventions: systematic savings incentives, flexible cash assistance using family mobile accounts, expanded formal banking coverage, and rapid identification of the most vulnerable through local administration. Without swift and safe economic reopening, long-term nutritional damage and social unrest could become serious concerns.
Read the full report here: Link
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