Competition in the country's job market is now significantly higher than at any point in the past.
Currently, an average of 287 job seekers are applying for a single position posted on online job portals.
In contrast, during the five years preceding the Covid-19 pandemic, there were an average of 173 applicants per position.
This means that job competition has increased by nearly 66% in the post-pandemic era.
These findings were revealed in a study jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission.
The results of the research were presented on Thursday during a seminar titled "Labor Market in Tough Times and Macroeconomic Shocks: Evidence from the Largest Online Job Portal," organized by BIDS in the capital.
Chaired by BIDS Director General AK Enamul Haque, the seminar was attended by State Minister for Planning Md Zonaed Abdur Rahim Saki as the chief guest.
BIDS research director Atanu Rabbani presented the research paper. He stated that the study analyzed 10 years and 6 months of data (from 2015 to 2025) from the country's largest online job portal.
According to the study, the country's labor market faced its biggest shock during the lockdown period of the Covid-19 pandemic.
At that time, job circulars dropped by nearly 70%, and job applications fell by 59%. It took nearly nine and a half months for the labor market to fully normalize.
However, even after the impact of the pandemic subsided, competition in the job market increased significantly and has now reached a record level.
Atanu Rabbani noted that currently, 85%-89% of total employment in the country remains in the informal sector.
A small fraction of formal sector jobs—around 2.5% to 3%—are recruited through online job portals. Although this segment is relatively small, online job data provides swift signals regarding shifts in the labor market, which can play a vital role in policy-making.
He shared that over the last 10 years, an average of 1,154 job circulars were published per week, offering opportunities across an average of 3,646 positions.
In response, an average of approximately 697,000 job seekers applied each week.
While most recruitments were for entry-level positions, there was a higher tendency toward direct hiring for upper-level roles.
Additionally, 54% of the job postings did not specify any gender requirements.
Atanu Rabbani added that monetary policy over the past decade has failed to generate a significant positive impact on the labour market. Expanding credit facilities alone cannot drive employment growth. The pace of new investments and job creation remains limited.
As a result, hiring for existing positions is low, unemployment pressure is rising, and applicants are having to wait much longer than before to land a job.
State Minister for Planning Md Zonaed Abdur Rahim Saki stated that alongside recovering a fragile economy, the government is implementing various skill development programs to build a skilled workforce.
He noted that to build a production-oriented and investment-driven economy, the government has taken steps to diversify investment sectors, with plans to expand employment by increasing investments in at least 10 new sectors.
BIDS director general AK Enamul Haque stated that various global crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have deeply impacted Bangladesh's labour market. The employment situation deteriorated further in July–August 2024. Although there was a slight improvement in the second half of 2025, the country's labor market continues to navigate harsh realities due to lingering post-Covid economic pressures.
