Bangladesh’s BPO exports surge as AI adoption bridges skills gap
DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Bangladesh’s business process outsourcing sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, with earnings hitting $900 million in the first half of 2025, according to Tanvir Ibrahim, President of the Bangladesh Association of Contact Center and Outsourcing (BACCO).
This surge is powered by the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence, which is elevating the capabilities of both firms and freelancers to compete globally.
Tech adoption narrows skills gap in BPO workforce
This increase is accredited to AI significantly reducing the skills gap that has long plagued the industry, opening up the possibility of the sector scaling its output and taking on more work orders at a rapid rate.
“AI is a blessing to minimize our skill gap with other countries. Our work orders have increased,” Tanvir told The Business Standard.
Specific companies illustrate this transformative efficiency. At The Kow Company, AI now powers 30% to 40% of its imaging work, reducing a 6-hour 3D design task to just one hour; the work previously done by 100 people is now handled by just 25 to 30.
Similarly, medical transcription firm Augmedix BD Ltd., which now handles over $1 million in monthly orders, has developed its own AI tools to move away from entirely manual processes, allowing it to serve more customers with greater accuracy and less time.
“We had to type extensively and then review for accuracy. It took a lot of time and manpower. Life is easier now because we’ve developed our own AI tools,” said Rashed Noman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Augmedix BD Ltd.
“This allows us to serve more customers.”
Freelancers shift to higher-value digital services
In addition to efficiency, AI will equip Bangladeshi professionals with the capabilities to graduate to higher-value services. The freelancers who were earning money on mere data entry are now able to compete in the industry using AI to extract market trends and deliver strategic advice.
The freelance sector is now gradually entering into more complicated fields like logo and web design, video editing, motion graphics, 3D modeling, as well as specialized writing portfolios, and this is a strong indication of how the export landscape of the country is changing and maturing.
Such a policy change is essential to place Bangladesh on the international playing field, but it still has a long way to go. Although it is expected that the sector will exceed the million-dollar mark in exports this year, this is insignificant alongside the Indian exports of $200 billion and the Philippines’ exports of $75 billion.
Since the advanced tools range in price between $20 and $100 a month, accessibility to them is a barrier to full adoption and, therefore, to AI benefits for the majority of freelancers.
The issue lies in the digital literacy level requirements and the extensive document revision efforts demanded after the initial AI-generated draft, which are disappointingly low among customers.
