The National Social Insurance Scheme (NSIS) Roadmap will provide a phased and strategic pathway for gradually establishing a coherent, contributory, and rights-based social insurance system in Bangladesh. It outlines the institutional, legal, financial, and administrative steps required to strengthen worker protection against employment injury, unemployment, maternity, and sickness-related risks through a sustainable and collectively financed framework aligned with national priorities and international labour standards.
Bangladesh’s economy has grown rapidly over the last two decades, creating new opportunities for employment, industrialization, and poverty reduction. Yet millions of workers and their families remain highly vulnerable to sudden shocks. A workplace accident, unexpected job loss, pregnancy-related work interruption, or illness can quickly push households into financial insecurity. In many cases, workers lose income immediately, while families struggle to manage basic living expenses, healthcare costs, debt, food security, children’s education which has adverse impact of overall wellbeing of a worker.
Bangladesh already has important legal and policy foundations for worker protection. The Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA), 2006 and subsequent amendments recognize employment injury compensation, maternity benefits, and other labour protections. Public-sector employees also benefit from more advanced maternity-related provisions, while several welfare and social assistance programmes support vulnerable groups. However, the overall protection landscape remains fragmented and uneven. Existing support is spread across labour laws, employer obligations, welfare funds, public programmes, and pilot initiatives. As a result, protection often depends on where a person works, whether an employer complies with legal obligations, and whether institutional support mechanisms are financially and administratively available when needed.
The proposed National Social Insurance Scheme (NSIS) aims to address these gaps through a more predictable, rights-based, and sustainable system of worker protection.
The NSIS was first envisioned includes four core branches:
- Employment Injury Insurance
- Unemployment Insurance
- Maternity Insurance
- Sickness Insurance
The roadmap recognizes that Bangladesh has reached an important policy moment. The Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) pilot has already demonstrated that social insurance can work in practice. At the same time, the establishment of the Social Security Unit (SSU) within the Ministry of Labour and Employment and recent labour law reforms have created momentum for broader institutional transformation. The central message of the roadmap is clear: Bangladesh now has the opportunity to move from fragmented and employer-dependent protection towards a coherent, comprehensive national social insurance system that protects workers with dignity and supports inclusive economic development.
