Unemployed population rises by 1.7 lakh in one year: BBS

The number of unemployed in Bangladesh has increased by 1.7 lakh within a year, as the number of people engaged in work or participating in the labour force has significantly decreased, a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics survey revealed today.

While unemployment was lower at the start of 2024, it has steadily risen throughout the year.

Employment has decreased in all sectors – agriculture, services, and industry – with unemployment rising more among men than women.

BBS released the labour force survey report for the third quarter of 2024 (July-September).

The survey found 26.6 lakh unemployed people in the country at the end of September, compared to 24.9 lakh during the same period in 2023. The number of unemployed increased by 20,000 over the last three months.

The third-quarter data shows that the increase in unemployment is higher among men than women.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards, unemployed individuals are defined as those who have not worked for at least one hour for pay or profit during the last seven days and have actively sought work in the last month.

BBS follows the rule when calculating unemployment.

According to BBS, by the end of September, there were 17.9 lakh unemployed men and 8.7 lakh unemployed women.

In 2023, the figures were 16.4 lakh men and 8.5 lakh women. Thus, the number of unemployed men has increased by 1.5 lakh, while the number of unemployed women has risen by 20,000.

The BBS reports that there are currently 5.92 crore people, both men and women, in the labour force. This is a decrease from 6.11 crore in the third quarter of 2023, showing a decline of 19.5 lakh in the number of people participating in the labour force over the year.

Of those in the labour force, 5.65 crore are employed, while the remaining individuals are unemployed.

In addition to the labour force, there is a large population outside it, who are neither employed nor considered unemployed. This group consists of 6.23 crore people, including general students, sick individuals, elderly men and women, disabled persons, retirees, and housewives who are either not employed or unwilling to engage in work.

According to the labour force survey, the current youth labour force in the country is 2.4 crore, with 1.17 crore men and 1.23 crore women.

In the third quarter of 2023, the youth labour force was 2.62 crore, which dropped to 2.4 crore in the same period in 2024. This indicates a decrease of 21.7 lakh in the youth labour force.

This year, the BBS has published the labour force survey report in two formats, with third-quarter results prepared according to the 13th and 19th ICLS guidelines. The estimates of employed individuals differ based on these ICLS standards set by the ILO.