Around 50% employed people of Bangladesh earn less than $1.25 per day – the worst situation in the region, according to a new book launched yesterday.
Analysts opined that this happened as most employees could not get fair remuneration in line with their works, causing inequality between the reach and poor.
They also lamented that confusing data on employment generation in the Labour Force Survey 2010 has created difficulties for job-led economic growth – much needed for sustainable economic development.
According to the book, Bangladesh unemployment rate was 4.5% as of 2010 while in USA it was 8.3% in the first quarter of 2012.
The observation was made at a book launching ceremony at the Policy Research Institute in the city. The book titled “Unnayn Bhabany Karmasngsthan and Sromobazar (employment in development thinking and labour market” was written in Bangla by Rizwanul Islam, former special adviser at ILO (employment sector).
Economist and former bureaucrat Akbar Ali Khan said in Bangladesh, employment is a biggest problem. Bangladesh constitution says every citizen has working right, but it was ignored so far.
Unemployment data is confusing as the difference between US and Bangladesh job growth is nothing but confusion.
PRI Executive Director Ahsan H Mansur said the country’s labour market information is very poor, though it is the foundation of economic growth.
Without proper labour market survey, the job-led growth is not possible to ensure sustainable economic development.
Echoing him, PRI Chairman Zaidi Sattar said employment data is critical for the economic development, but it has enough mismacth in the labour statistics.
He laid emphasis on export doversification policy to create diversified labour market for sustainable economic development.
Ex-member at General Economic Division, Planning Commission and ex-managing director of Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation Quazi Mesbahuddin Ahmed said labour force market survey is very difficult to understand as it is not transparent.
The remuneration received by workers and employees at the cost of their hard-work is very low and even below poverty line. Those employed people can be called hard-core poor.
Professor of economics at Dhaka University Selim Raihan said diversification of economy means employment diversification.
Policy should be taken in such a way so the country should not depend on one sector that is RMG. Many countries depend on many sectors mainly labour-intensive ones.
BIDS Senior Research Fellow Nazneen Ahmed stressed on generation of women labour force to add to the labour force for faster development of the economy.
Professor of economics at Dhaka University Prof Barket-e-Khuda said East Asia actually benefitted from demographic dividend. Many labour dropped out from the labour force. He stressed on ensuring the quality of labour force. Bangladesh has the capacity to create enough jobs to absorb people into productive sector.
