Unemployed young people in Bangladesh are turning away from the private sector to seek the higher salaries and job security of the Public Service, a conference in Dhaka was told.
Chief Executive of Bdjobs.com, Fahim Mashroor said that a decade ago, graduates preferred jobs in multinational companies or banks but now they studied to pass the Bangladesh Civil Service examination.
“This is because the salaries have doubled in the Public Service, but the payment in private sector jobs has remained the same,” Mr Mashroor said.
“Ten years ago, the dream of graduates was to work for a multinational company and maybe eventually get transferred overseas.
“That dream has faded now, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Senior Research Associate with the Centre for Policy Dialogue, which hosted the conference, Syed Yusuf Saadat said 38 out of 100 surveyed employers said they could not offer jobs to unemployed youths because of their lack of skills.
“The employers mostly want English language and communication skills,” Mr Saadat said.
“However, the job-seekers say they cannot develop the required skills as opportunities to do so are not available after graduation,” he said.
Managing Director of the Apex Footwear Company, Syed Nasim Manzur said graduates wanted to go straight into offices with facilities such as air conditioning, while in the private sector they had to work through to middle management to earn those privileges.
Mr Manzur said his company had borne the expenses of 50 students at university and later offered them jobs as store managers.
“Half turned the offer down, as either they or their families had reservations about working in a factory that manufactured shoes. It is a social stigma,” Mr Manzur said.
“Most graduates prefer public sector jobs because of the perception that Government jobs grant a better social status,” he said.
Dhaka, 7 December, 2021
