Youth unemployment on the rise in Bangladesh: Report
New Delhi, June 3
Bangladesh's graduate unemployment rate is reported to be three times higher, at 13.5 per cent in 2024, than the overall rate of unemployment. Youth unemployment is about 10 per cent, more than double the overall unemployment rate at under five per cent, according to an article in Dhaka-based The Daily Star.
More alarming is that about 30 per cent of youth are categorised as not in education, employment, or training (NEET), the report said.
Jobless economic growth is much more an economic policy problem than an education and training problem. About a dozen major projects on skill development and employment creation have been undertaken in Bangladesh in the last two decades, some of which were funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.
These projects have expanded training opportunities and contributed to building the institutional support structure. Yet, complaints of mismatch and volume of graduate unemployment have not abated. Rough estimates based on Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data indicate that 22 lakh youth enter the job market every year, but any kind of new jobs available are only about 14 lakh, leaving more than a third of new job-seekers unemployed, the report states.
The report points out that sociologist Philip Foster, six decades ago, wrote a seminal piece on what he called the vocational school fallacy. He critiqued the insertion of vocational courses in primary and secondary schools as an easy answer to youth unemployment.
He argued that basic general education has the critical task of equipping young people with the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy and helping them cultivate the thinking, reasoning, and values necessary to function as adults in work and life. Primary and secondary schools, especially in low-income countries, have a tough enough job teaching the foundational skills and should not have the added burden of vocational training.
Experience of vocationalising general secondary schools has almost been entirely negative. Foster's conclusion is even more pertinent today because the nature of jobs now changes rapidly, and workers need to be prepared to relearn and upgrade their skills, the report observes.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As an Indian, I feel this pain deeply. With 22 lakh entering the job market yearly but only 14 lakh jobs available, that's a crisis. The Foster's 'vocational school fallacy' makes sense—we need better general education before specialisation. Skill India schemes should note this.
The NEET statistic: 30% of youth not in education, employment, or training—that's alarming! In India, we see similar trends in states like Bihar and UP. Bangladesh's report highlights something important: we can't just add vocational courses in schools without addressing economic policy first. 🎯
Respectfully, I think the article misses the mark. Graduate unemployment at 13.5% is serious but compares well to many countries. The real issue is quality of education, not vocational vs general. Bangladesh has made huge strides in reducing poverty—this is a growth pangs problem. Let's not be too critical.
Interesting perspective from Philip Foster. As a Westerner working in South Asia, I've seen how education systems struggle to balance general skills with job-specific training. The Bangladesh example shows that even with World Bank projects, if the economy doesn't generate enough jobs, training alone won't fix it. The 14 vs 22 lakh mismatch proves policy matters more than curriculum.
Ek baat hai—कभी-कभी लगता है कि हम (India and Bangladesh) don't take these reports seriously until crisis hits. The NEET 30% figure is scary. I wish our governments would collaborate more on skill development. The apprenticeship model
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