The latest findings from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), revealing that nearly 29% of highly educated youth in Bangladesh are unemployed, while half of those employed work in jobs far below their qualifications, tells us that when it comes to job creation and employment, we are, without question, a profound socio-economic failure.
For a nation that has been banking on its demographic dividend to propel it into future prosperity for some time now, these numbers are not only depressing, but simultaneously a damning indictment of our archaic educational framework and haphazard labour market.
When nearly a third of our brightest minds are left idle or underemployed, it is certainly not just a statistical concern but a squandering of national potential. It is the type of squandering that threatens long-term economic stagnation for this country.
The root of this crisis is a glaring, persistent mismatch between what our academic institutions teach and what the modern economy actually demands. For decades, traditional degrees have churned out graduates disconnected from industrial reality, while technical, vocational, and digital skills training remain woefully neglected.
Compounding this, our labour markets remain choked by an overwhelming informal sector that lacks job security, formal contracts, and career progression, while bureaucracy, favouritism, and connections keep out worthy candidates from ever taking on roles fit for their qualifications.
Treating youth unemployment as a temporary inconvenience or relying on fragmented, cosmetic training programs will no longer suffice. Turning our demographic growth into a genuine economic advantage requires immediate, aggressive structural overhaul.
For that to happen, the state, in partnership with private industry, must radically modernize our curricula to align with market demands, prioritizing technical competency, critical thinking, and digital fluency. Public investment must also prioritize creating high-productivity jobs while providing robust support for innovative enterprises.
We cannot preach national development while forcing our graduates into despair and underemployment. Without equipping our youth with meaningful, dignified employment, there can be no development.