Bangladesh’s young workforce is one of its greatest strengths. However, a large number of young people in Bangladesh cannot take part in the mainstream economic activities, as they do not find jobs. The high growth of the economy has not been able to generate enough jobs for the youth, a major section of whom are educated. Thus, Bangladesh is being deprived of the contribution of this large energetic workforce who could have provided demographic dividend to the economy.
This report provides a systematic exploration of the nature and causes of youth unemployment in Bangladesh. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of this report is based on the official Labour Force Survey data and focus group discussions. The study delves into the reasons of both male and female youth unemployment, and presents a set of recommendations.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will be useful for the policymakers, the private sector, the non-government organisations, the rights-based grassroots-level organisations and broader stakeholders in the country.
Authors: Fahmida Khatun and Syed Yusuf Saadat