Reducing the unemployment rate in Bangladesh is possible only through
government’s initiatives.
Over 3.5 million people in Bangladesh dream to earn a living (Munni, 2023). However,
even the best of their efforts are in vain due to severe competition where effort alone cannot
change anything for the better. This leads to a constantly increasing unemployment rate which
can be avoided by implementation of government policies giving hope to the citizens of a
secure future. Thus unemployment rate of Bangladesh can only be decreased by the government
taking actions on changing the education system, initiating government employment programs
and controlling the population growth.
As the government is responsible for the well-being of its citizens, it is certainly the duty
of the government to take necessary steps to address the problem of low employment rate. One
of the most fundamental actions taken by the government should be improving the education
sector. The education sector continues to remain backdated in modern times causing resources
and talented individuals to be wasted. According to Ahmed(2023), around 30% of graduates
remain unemployed. This is partly due to lack of proper skill development in their education as
expressed by the reporter. The government must reform the education system emphasizing more
on the practical skills, which will enable citizens to match the requirements for job applications.
Moreover, the education system can be further improved by widening the scope of education by
integrating more digital means. This can be achieved by use of online teaching methods which
can transform the system by making it accessible to all corners of the country. Investing in online
learning platforms and promoting them can significantly increase literacy and in turn help
citizens to learn the basic knowledge to start earning. In addition, there is an increase in
freelancing job opportunities which prefer practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge or
certified course completions. The conditions for such jobs can easily be met by learning through
digital platforms. For example, an online freelancing course available at “10 minutes school”, an
online teaching platform, has benefitted over 38000 people. The government investing and
collaborating with such platforms will drastically improve the unemployment rate. As a result,
by promoting digital learning programs and improving the existing education system the
government could prepare the citizens to apply for more earning opportunities.
As a developing country Bangladesh has planned several mega projects. These
development projects can be used to introduce more job opportunities to its citizens. By
assigning citizens as the primary workforce rather than counting on foreign workers, the
government will be able to create a variety of job options. For example, out of 3700 engineers
who have worked in the construction of the Padma bridge only 1200 of them are Bangladeshi
(Hossain, 2022). Depending more on the local workforce can significantly contribute to the issue
of unemployment. This will also train local workers further, making them more experienced. In
addition to big projects, regional development projects to develop particular under-developed
areas is another way to address the unemployment issue. Focusing on developing
underdeveloped roads, sewage systems etc which will not only give opportunities to new
workers but also contribute to the overall growth of the country. For instance, Canada has an
organization, ACOA, that is responsible for economic development of certain regions of Canada,
which also creates a plethora of new occupations leading to decreased unemployment rate. The
government should definitely create similar organizations to tackle the high unemployment rate.
Therefore, by initiating government employment programs through means of infrastructure
development projects the government can gradually eliminate the rise of unemployment.
Besides the previously mentioned challenges, extremely high population density is
another reason as to why rising unemployment rate can only be improved by the government.
Controlling the population growth to gradually become stable will eventually render stability in
the job market. This will decrease the gap between the demand and supply of labor creating a
higher chance of employment. According to Ahmed (2023), the job market is unable to
accommodate the ever increasing working age population. Planned population control, education
of the masses about population are things that can only be achieved by the help of the
government. Also, a decreased population will increase the economic productivity per capita of
the country. As a result, existing resources will be distributed more effectively. For example, the
government vocational institutes only train around 14 percent of students, according to Rumeen
Farhana, a lawmaker.(as cited in the daily star report of a CPD press conference). This suggests
that only a small portion of people are benefited by the resources provided by the government
highlighting the mismanagement of the authorities due to high population. So, due to the large
population the unemployment rate is sky-rocketing and without proper steps taken by the
government this alarming problem cannot be eradicated.
The government shoulders the responsibility of creating a sustainable and secure future
for its citizens. "Bangladesh unemployment data looks like people here are living in Switzerland.
If we follow the USA Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment would be 20%,"-Professor
Birupaksha Paul.( Rahman & Islam, 2023). This quote highlights the dire situation of the country
and implies the lack of immediate response from the governing body. So, by taking necessary
steps to improve the education system, introducing more government employment programs and
to keep the population in control the government will be able to significantly improve the
employment rate.
Reference list:
Ahmad, M(2023).Bangladesh Education System and Unemployment
Problem - 2023 andBeyond.Linkdin. https://www.linkedin.com/pul
se/bangladesh-education-system-unemployment-problem-2023-
ahmad/?fbclid=IwAR0HAMN91hNRH6Z6jFo532GbymDsJz9y40RyOa7-01sIz4bLXuJ
DCgnDrLQ
Ahmed, M.(2023).Graduate unemployment: Who's to blame? The Daily
Star.
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/graduate-unemployment-whos-blame-3
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Hossain, S.(2022).14,000 workers, engineers built Padma Bridge in
nearly 2,765 days. The Daily Star.
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/development/news/
14000-workers-engineers-built-padma-bridge-nearly-2765-days-30
55376
Munni, M.(2023). 3.5m Bangladeshis to remain jobless in 2023. The
Financial Express.
https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/bangladesh/35m-bangladeshis-to-remain-job
less-in-2023-report-1673923391
Rahman, S. & Islam, Jahidul.(2023).Realities beyond the unemployment
numbershttps://www.tbsnews.net/analysis/realities-beyond-unemlo
yment-numbers-732674
The Daily Star. (2020). https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/govt-
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ca4NEQpGfMcgWblu3Pj4y01JgFbWSAzxvJFBO9-fE9
MViD_7AvM
