Sirajul Islam, a graduate majoring in finance and banking at Government Titumir College under National University, is pondering where to cast his first ever vote in the forthcoming parliamentary election scheduled for December 30.
Pursuing his Masters degree from the same college, he has a specific condition as to who he wants to see in power. He will prioritize the party that pledges to address the issue of spiraling unemployment, especially among the educated youth.
“For the last two years, I have frantically been searching for a job,” he said, “I sat for several recruitment exams, succeeded, and ended up appearing for viva voce, but every effort was in vain.”
Sirajul attributed the disappointing results in his search for employment to a lower number of opportunities coupled with a growing number of job-seekers.
“I would prefer to cast my vote for a party that promises to expand employment opportunities and facilitate entrepreneurship in its election manifesto,” he said.
Sirajul is among 22% of the country’s registered voters who are aged between 18 and 28. From among these voters, 12.3 million people will cast their vote for the first time in the upcoming polls.
It is believed that these new voters will play a significant role determining who will run the country for the next five years.
In last seven years, the youth unemployment rate in Bangladesh doubled to 12.8% in 2017, as compared to 6.4% in 2010, according to the International Labour Organization’s Asia-Pacific Employment and Social Outlook report 2018.
As per government data, there are approximately 270,000 unemployed people in the country, while around 200,000 educated youths are entering the job market.
On the other hand, close to 130,000 new jobs are being created each year.
A total 436,800 new voters were added to the last updated voter list, out of which 229,700 are male and 207,000 are female.
As of January this year, the total number of voters in the country stood at 104.1 million, as compared to 91.9 million during the 2014 general electuon.
In the latest voter list, 52.5 million are male and the remaining 51.6 million are female.
Their demands
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, several new voters demanded that the next government cut job application costs, reduce the time taken for the recruitment process, evaluate their merit, and promote the private sector for the creation of new jobs.
Meanwhile, academics and experts called for making training and education programs suitable for the needs of industries.
“Corruption is a major problem in getting jobs, as ineligible candidates are getting them in exchange of bribes. That is why the political parties need to have strong commitment to making the recruitment process transparent,” Rana Ahmed, a graduate for Dhaka University (DU), said.
To buy an application for a government job, an applicant has to pay Tk800-1,000, which has become a significant burden for job-seekers, and the lengthy process of recruitment is also a problem, he added.
He also called for ensuring employment regardless of quota requirements, and for evaluation of job seekers on the basis of merit.
Although quota facilities for people with disabilities and freedom fighters may be maintained, other quotas should be reformed, Rana said.
Former DU vice chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique said: “If a political party focuses on the welfare of the youth, it will focus on the welfare of the country, as the youth are the future of the nation and will lead the county’s development agenda.”
Political parties should concentrate on education and training to prepare youths for the job market, he added.
He further said election manifestos of political parties should include pledges that benefit the young generation, and pave their way to becoming entrepreneurs
Meanwhile, students who want to be entrepreneurs said financing problems when starting businesses need to be addressed.
Sufian Khan, an MBA student at a private university who is planning to open a small business, said: “Political stability is what we want most, as the flow of investment, especially from abroad, will be affected badly in its absence.”
He also urged the next government to widen its incentives for entrepreneurs, which will help fresh graduates to start their own ventures.
“I hope the next ruling party will focus on expanding self-employment, alongside other development plans,” Sufian suggested.
Akram Ahmed of North South University said jobs in the public sector should not consider the political affiliations of job seekers.
“Merit should get priority over political allegiance,” Akram said.
Former advisor to a caretaker government AB Mirza Azizul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “There is investment in the private sector, but it is not enough to create sufficient jobs to address the country’s growing unemployment. The government has to support the sectors with high potential for youth job creation, by removing barriers and continuing policy support for the private sector.”
To make education and training programmes effective, the programs have to be linked to the requirements of the related industries, he added.
Brac survey: Job key issues for voters
Unemployment, problems in transport infrastructure, and the crisis in the education sector are the top three issues that voters expect the political parties contesting the upcoming general polls to solve, a Brac survey on the 11th general polls said.
The survey was conducted from September-October, with 5,378 people from all 64 districts surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Around 53.3% of the respondents were voters in the 18-35 age group.
According to the survey, the highest percentage of respondents, 27.7%, said they were looking for a solution to the countrywide unemployment problem, while 26.3% want to see development in the transport infrastructure, and nearly 24% prioritized development of the education sector.
The demand for a free and fair election came fourth on the list, as only 17.17% of the respondents said they expected to see a credible election.
Entrepreneurship development a two-way solution to unemployment
As the country is going through an unemployment crisis, developing new entrepreneurs through fiscal support can be a two solution to the problem, as it will create self employment as well as generate employment for others.
“In the country, employment generation has slowed down in recent years. Sectors such as banks, non-banking financial institutions, telecommunications, and other mid-level job creating sectors did not witness much investment,” Zahid Hussain, lead economist of the World Bank, Bangladesh Office told the Dhaka Tribune.
As such, political parties should focus on creating entrepreneurship skills, especially among educated youngsters.
“If this is done, it will work as a two-way solution, creating self employment as well as generating employment for others,” he surmised.
What the parties will promise to youths in their manifestos
When contacted, some top leaders of the ruling Awami League and BNP, requesting anonymity, said they will highlight development goals which will ultimately benefit the youths.
An Awami League leader said his party will unveil a pro-youth election manifesto, aiming to attract the vast number of young and new voters as they will decide the winning side.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will also get special attention in the manifesto, he added.
According to a senior BNP leader, their manifesto will also prioritise development plans that are youth-oriented.
