Impacts of COVID-19 on unemployment: Bangladesh perspectives

Abstract

Bangladesh must continue to struggle and create room for young empowerment, notwithstanding its remarkable economic growth. Inducing a recession, the economic impact of the pandemic has serious ramifications for the Bangladeshi economy. Considering secondary data obtained from websites, newspapers, journals, and reports, this paper aims to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment in Bangladesh. The youth population has increased by a big margin, which means that the total number of unemployed youths in Bangladesh has actually risen much more than what seems on the surface, and the Bangladesh economy has experienced jobless growth in recent years. Even as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the majority of private companies laid off their personnel, exacerbating the unemployment problem. Many of them are disadvantaged and lack access to opportunities.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Unemployment
• Bangladesh
• Jobless Growth
• Lockdown

References

1. Abdullah, M. (2022, February 7). Young, educated and jobless. Dhaka Tribune. https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2022/02/08/young-educated-and-jobless
2. Akhtar, N. (2022, March). Female unemployment increases risk of domestic violence. New Age. https://www.newagebd.net/article/164755/female-unemployment-increases-risk-of-domestic-violence
3. Ali, A. M. S. (1998). Toward an ecological explanation of agricultural unemployment in Bangladesh. The Professional Geographer, 50(2), 176-191.
4. Andaleeb, S. S. (2022, September 24). “Higher education is slave-generating.” The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/higher-education-slave-generating-3126886
5. Asadullah, M. N. (2014, April 30). Is graduate unemployment rate really 47%? The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/is-graduate-unemployment-rate-really-47-22302
6. Ataur. (2020, September 7). Unemployment problem in Bangladesh and its solution. BD Economy. https://oikosmist.com/unemployment-problem-in-bangladesh/
7. Bidisha, S. H. (2022, September 14). Post-Covid challenges for our labour market. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/post-covid-challenges-our-labour-market-3119351
8. Byron, R. K. (2020, August 19). Youth unemployment to double this year. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/youth-unemployment-double-year-1947961

9. Byron, R. K., & Alamgir, M. (2019, October 12). 1.38cr people underemployed. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/unemployment-in-bangladesh-138cr-people-underemployed-1812961
10. Chowdhury, M., & Hossain, M. (2014). Determinants of unemployment in Bangladesh: A case study. Developing Country Studies, 4(3).
11. Daily Star. (2020, November). Unemployment in RMG sector deepened in September: study. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/garment-jobless-crisis-deepens-sep-study-1987881
12. Hossain, M. T. (2022, May 26). Unemployment, seen and unseen. Prothomalo; Prothom Alo English. https://en.prothomalo.com/opinion/op-ed/unemployment-seen-and-unseen
13. Hossen, M. B. (2021, February 11). Unemployment problem in Bangladesh: Causes and solution. The Independent. https://m.theindependentbd.com/post/259269
14. Islam, R. (1980). Graduate unemployment in Bangladesh: A preliminary analysis. The Bangladesh Development Studies, 47-74.
15. Jamal, E. O. (2019a, February 16). Some ways to reduce youth unemployment. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/28th-anniversary-supplements/entrepreneurship-key-youth-employment/news/some-ways-reduce-youth-unemployment-1702975
16. Jamal, E. O. (2019b, August 7). Jobs are the reason “it’s the economy, stupid!” The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/the-overton-window/news/jobs-are-the-reason-its-the-economy-stupid-1783123
17. Khan, S. (2020, March 25). Unemployment still a key challenge. The Financial Express. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/views/unemployment-still-a-key-challenge-1585151594
18. Khatun, F. (2019, September 21). Time to address youth unemployment. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/macro-mirror/news/time-address-youth-unemployment-1803226
19. Mukit, M. M. H., & Abdel-Razzaq, A. I. (2021). Relationship between Unemployment and Macroeconomics Aggregates: Evidence from Bangladesh.
20. Nawmi, T. S. (2022, June 29). The Financial Express. The Financial Express. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/youth-entrepreneurship-through-smes-can-change-bangladeshs-economic-landscape-1656492318
21. Neazy, S. N. (2019, June 28). Rise of the educated unemployed. Dhaka Tribune. https://archive.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2019/06/28/rise-of-the-educated-unemployed
22. New Age. (2022, June 2). Bangladesh’s unemployment rate rises to 5.3pc: ILO. New Age. https://www.newagebd.net/article/139530/bangladeshs-unemployment-rate-rises-to-53pc-ilo
23. Pritu, J. A. (2018, September 25). 4.4 million youths face unemployment in Bangladesh. Dhaka Tribune. https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2018/09/25/4-4-million-youths-face-unemployment-in-bangladesh
24. Rafi, M. A., Mamun, M. A., Hsan, K., Hossain, M., & Gozal, D. (2019). Psychological implications of unemployment among Bangladesh Civil Service job seekers: a pilot study. Frontiers in psychiatry, 10, 578.
25. Rahman, M., Farooq, M. O., & Selim, M. (2021). Mitigating educated youth unemployment in Bangladesh. The Journal of Developing Areas, 55(1).
26. Rahman, M., Farooq, M. O., & Selim, M. (2021). Mitigating educated youth unemployment in Bangladesh. The Journal of Developing Areas, 55(1).
27. Rashid, M. H., & Islam, M. A. (2020). Impacts of unemployment on graduates in Bangladesh: a case study. Br. J. Arts Humanit, 2(5), 87-94.
28. Roy, J. S., Das, N., & Tanjim-Ul-Islam. (2021, December). The Financial Express. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/views/vocational-training-integral-policy-measure-for-reducing-youth-unemployment-1640874982
29. Shovon, F. R. (2020, September 23). Covid-19: Employment takes a serious hit in Bangladesh. Dhaka Tribune. https://archive.dhakatribune.com/health/coronavirus/2020/09/23/employment-during-an-economy-ravaged-by-covid-19
30. Statista. (2021). Bangladesh - unemployment rate 1999 to 2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/808225/unemployment-rate-in-bangladesh/
31. Tanha, R. (2018). Impact of economic growth and inflation on unemployment in Bangladesh: A time series analysis [Doctoral dissertation] United International University.
32. Tasneem, S. T. (2020, February 19). How the free-rider problem affects youth employability. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/economics/news/how-the-free-rider-problem-affects-youth-employability-1870324
33. The Business Standard. (2022, March 29). No unemployment in Bangladesh: Salman F Rahman. The Business Standard. https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/there-no-unemployment-bangladesh-salman-f-rahman-393362
34. The Business Standard. (2021, August 11). Bangladesh only ahead of Pakistan, Afghanistan in youth development in S Asia. The Business Standard. https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/bangladesh-only-ahead-pakistan-afghanistan-youth-development-s-asia-286993
35. The Financial Express. (2022a, January). Disparity, youth unemployment among Bangladesh’s key development challenges. The Financial Express. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/disparity-youth-unemployment-among-bangladeshs-key-development-challenges-1642128119
36. The Financial Express. (2022b, August). Youth unemployment rate in Bangladesh stands at 10.6pc: ILO. The Financial Express. https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/youth-unemployment-rate-in-bangladesh-stands-at-106pc-ilo-1660230652
37. Zaman, A. (2019, June 23). A freelancing boom is reshaping Bangladesh and its economy. The Print. https://theprint.in/world/a-freelancing-boom-is-reshaping-bangladesh-and-its-economy/252971/