Compulsory vocational courses proposed for NU colleges to cut unemployment

Employment and education experts have proposed introducing mandatory vocational courses in all colleges under the National University to address the issue of educated unemployment in the country.

During a programme at the Bangla Academy in Dhaka today, Fahim Mashroor, founder of Bdjobs.com, said that unemployment is a fundamental issue for any nation.

He said that the student movement, which led to the change in government in August, stemmed from concerns about employment and unemployment, highlighting the urgency of addressing the issue.

Citizen platform Voice for Reform organised the discussion titled "State Interventions for Addressing Educated Unemployment."

Fahim Mashroor said that according to the International Labour Organisation, a person is considered unemployed if they have not worked for at least one hour in exchange for wages within the past seven days and have been actively seeking work over the past month. 

Based on this standard, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics reported that 26 lakh people are currently unemployed out of 7.38 crore in the country's labour market, he added.

Proposals to cut unemployment 

As the co-convener of Voice for Reform, Fahim Mashroor presented several proposals aimed at addressing the issue of educated unemployment, which include publishing accurate data on educated unemployment, forecasting sector-specific labour market demand for the next five years and guiding higher education institutions accordingly, establishing a Ministry of Human Resource Development to devise effective strategies for skill development and employment creation. 

The proposals also include providing state subsidies or tax benefits to private companies for hiring fresh graduates by covering 50% of their training costs and first-year salaries and mandating internships for all university courses with stipends provided by private universities or the University Grants Commission for public university students.

Additional proposals included publishing annual data on employment and higher education rates by universities, establishing foreign language centres in all universities, recognising freelancing and gig work as part of the micro, small, and medium enterprises sector, and providing bank loans for graduates intending to work or study abroad, following proper verification of their credentials.

Fahim Mashroor highlighted the concerning trend that as education levels increase, unemployment rates also rise, with the rate more than doubling from primary to tertiary levels. Over the past decade, the number of educated unemployed has tripled. 

Many graduates prefer government jobs over private-sector opportunities and are reluctant to work outside Dhaka. This is partly because a significant portion of the country's economy remains informal, he added.

Speakers at the event said that around 24 lakh young people enter the job market annually, with 5–10 lakh going abroad—most of them unskilled. However, sending trained and highly educated graduates abroad could have a positive economic impact.

Md Rubaiyath Sarwar, managing director of Innovation Consulting, stressed the need to formalise the labour market, noting that informal sectors are often exploited for political purposes. He also called for a national survey to assess sector-specific and skill-based competencies.

Economist Rushidan Islam Rahman, former research director at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, said that creating jobs for everyone is impractical. Instead, fostering entrepreneurship, especially in agriculture, should be prioritised.

He proposed modernising agricultural practices, providing adequate training, and focusing on high-value agricultural products to create entrepreneurial and employment opportunities.

He said engaging village-based organisations in this process could be beneficial.