The "Orange Economy" is transforming Bangladesh's employment landscape and boosting youth employment rates.
Headlined in Business Standard, Bangladesh's creative economy—or orange economy—is expanding at a pace exceeding the overall economy, yet it remains largely overlooked on the policy front.
New data reveals that this sector contributed over 900 billion BDT to the country’s GDP in the previous fiscal year, raising an urgent question: why is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors still perceived as cultural rather than commercial?
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Economic Census 2024, employment in the arts, entertainment, and leisure sectors surged to 112,829 people in 2024—up 237% from 33,341 in 2013—despite the lack of supportive policies, indicating sustained growth.
The orange economy (i.e., creative economy) encompasses a broad range of fields including culture, arts, design, film and television, gaming, publishing, advertising, animation, fashion, and more. These industries rely on human creativity rather than heavy assets, generating numerous flexible jobs per unit of investment.
With the advancement of artificial intelligence, the internet, short videos, and live-stream e-commerce, orange economy products—such as web novels, web series, online games, and digital content—can be rapidly disseminated through low-cost digital channels, enabling a new employment model: "one-person team, global audience," significantly lowering barriers to entry.
The orange economy fosters the development of individual creators, freelancers, and small studios—such as independent game developers, short video bloggers, and online authors—forming a novel employment structure of "platform + individual," effectively absorbing non-traditional job seekers.
(Note by author: The orange economy—also known as the "creative economy"—refers to the aggregate of industrial activities centered on creativity and intellectual capital, spanning culture, arts, technology, design, and beyond. It emphasizes generating economic value through innovation, intellectual property, and cultural significance, serving as a vital force driving inclusive and sustainable development.)
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864483835787264/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.