Using data from multiple sources, we show that in Bangladesh, the increase in real wages, particularly
female wages, has accelerated since the late 2000s, suggesting that the Lewis turning point (the point at
which the labor market starts to shift in favor of workers) has arrived in Bangladesh. Rising wages are
likely a result of a combination of more ample job opportunities in the nonfarm sector, especially in the
manufacturing sector for females, and a greater amount of remittances, primarily from male workers
overseas. Since human capital is the most important asset for the poor, the escalation in real wages has
boosted the poor’s earnings, thereby reducing their likelihood of being poor.