current situation of unemployment problem in Bangladesh :
According to a study of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the rate of growth
of unemployment in Bangladesh was 1.9 per cent in the decade of the nineties. But the
growth in unemployment currently is 3.7 per cent. The ILO figures also show Bangladeshin the twelfth position among the top twenty countries in the world where unemploymentis rising.The number of the unemployed in Bangladesh now is estimated at 30 million. The waythe rate of unemployment is increasing, it is feared that at this rate unemployment wouldsoar to some 60 million by 2015. According to another estimate, every year some 2.7million young persons are becoming eligible for jobs whereas only about 0.7 million ofthem are getting employment. The number of the 'disguised unemployed' an economicterm meaning underemployed people or employed to a degree less than their potential, issome 32 per cent .The total civilian labour force of the country in 1996-97 was estimated at 42.97 million,of which 34.7 million were male and 8.27 million were female. These figures, howeverexcluded the female labour force engaged in activities like poultry, livestock, paddyhusking, preservation of food etc conducted in rural households and considered asdomestic work rather than economic activities. The 1995-96 LFS estimated the femaleparticipation rate at 18.1%
The labour force in Bangladesh grew faster than the population and had almost doubled
between the year of independence and mid 1990s. The employment on man-year basis
has, however, increased and the absolute unemployment, as well as underemployment
had reduced. The rate of underemployment was 38.78% in 1972-73 and 27.95% in 1996-
97. Figures on un- and underemployment vary in official documents as may observed
from a comparison between tables 1 and 2.
Since agriculture has not been able to absorb increased labour force there has been large
migration from rural to urban areas. However, agriculture still employs the highest
number of labour (63.2%). Informal labour force dominates the labour market. The
Labour Force Survey, 1995/96 showed that about 40.1% were unpaid family workers.
17.9% were day labour, 12.4% were regularly employed workers and 29.6% were self-
employed.
More than one-third of the employed persons both at the national and rural levels is
underemployed. The underemployment is much higher in the female population than in
the male population. Of the unpaid family workers 77.9% are female.
