The total labour force of Bangladesh has increased to 73.69 million of which 48.25 million are male while 25.44 million are female, according to the findings of the 1st quarter of the Labour Force Survey 2023.
The total labour force means the number of people engaged in work aged above 15 years and above alongside the total number of unemployed people.
The labour force survey findings of the first quarter (January-March), 2023 were unveiled on Tuesday at a press conference held at the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam spoke at the press conference as the chief guest while Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin spoke as special guest presided over by Director General of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Md Matiar Rahman.
Project Director of the Labour Force Survey Aziza Rahman made a power-point presentation on the findings of the survey.
The Labour Force Survey is one of the important surveys conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
Speaking on the occasion, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said that the BBS for the first time has been publishing quarterly the findings of the Labour Force Survey and would also publish quarterly the GDP related information.
"The BBS in recent times is very much active and vibrant," he said, adding that the findings of the Labour Force Survey and GDP are very much vital for understanding the health of the economy.
Extending thanks to all concerned engaged in the process of conducting this survey, Dr Alam said that the findings of the survey were very much expected.
Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin said that the findings of the survey would be updated quarterly and it would help the government to know about the status of the labour market in different seasons.
Director General of BBS Md Matiar Rahman said that the BBS is now more vibrant and transparent compared to the past as it conducts its operations according to the guidelines of the UN Statistical Organization. "We're cent percent transparent and we seek support from the media in this regard."
In the 4th quarter (October-December) of 2022, the total labour force of the country was 72.89 million of which 47.05 million were male while 25.84 million were female.
The survey findings showed that as per the ILO guideline, the total number of people in the country engaged in work in the 1st quarter of 2023 also increased to 71.10 million of which 46.54 million are male while 24.56 million are female.
The total number of people engaged in work in the 4th quarter (October-December), 2022 was 70.91 million of which 45.73 million were male while 25.18 million were female.
The survey findings showed that the number of unemployed people in the first quarter of 2023 is 2.59 million of which 1.71 million are male while 0.88 million are female. The rate of unemployment in the 1st quarter is 3.51% of which 3.54% is for male while 3.46% is for females.
The total number of unemployed people in the 4th quarter of 2022 was 2.32 million of which 1.66 million are male while 0.66 million are female. The rate of unemployment in the 4th quarter of 2022 was 3.2% of which 3.5% was for male while 2.6% for females.
The BBS survey indicates that some 46.39 million remain outside of the labour force in the 1st quarter of 2023 of which 11.19 million are male while 35.20 million are female.
The rate of participants in the labour force in the 1st quarter of 2023 is 61.37% of which 81.17% is male while 41.95% is female.
The total number of youth force in the country aged between 15-29 years is 27.38 million of which 14.03 million are male while 13.35 million are female.
Out of the 71.10 million people engaged in work in various sectors in the 1st quarter of 2023, some 31.94 million people are engaged in the agriculture sector, some 12.25 million people are engaged in the industries sector while some 26.91 million people are engaged in the services sector.
The Labour Force Survey is being conducted across the country while data is being collected from some 30,816 households in each quarter. Data is collected in four quarters of a year.
The survey outcomes would help the government to frame and implement necessary policies for ensuring optimum use of the labour force and addressing unemployment.
