Less focus on developing skills, rush to create freelancers

Three government ministries are currently providing training to create freelancers in the IT sector, with over 10 billion taka already spent on these initiatives. 

However, a government study reveals a significant gap between the training provided and market demands. Bangladesh continues to lag behind competing countries in terms of skills and income.

During the previous Awami League government, it was claimed that the number of freelancers was increasing by millions annually. Numerous projects were launched to support this claim. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department alone has spent at least 10 billion taka to create freelancers.

Similarly, the National Academy for Computer Training and Research (NACTAR) under the Ministry of Education and the Youth Development Department under the Ministry of Youth and Sports have also invested heavily in freelancer training programmes.

Experts in the sector have criticised these government initiatives, calling them a waste of money. They pointed out issues such as outdated syllabi, a failure to understand market demands, and the lack of targeted training for those who genuinely need it. 

The absence of stakeholder involvement in training initiatives and inadequate monitoring of trainers are seen as major shortcomings.

ICT Secretary Sheesh Haider Chowdhury acknowledged the need for freelancing but stressed that the focus must now shift to improving skills. To address this, the ICT Department plans to involve relevant experts in future training programs.

In 2017, the Oxford Internet Institute highlighted the promising potential of Bangladesh’s freelancing sector. Various organisations also recognised Bangladesh as a leading country for freelancers.

However, in a list published by CEO Magasine in April this year, Bangladesh failed to make it into the top 25 countries for freelancers, ranking 29th instead. The National Skill Development Authority (NSDA) attributed this to a lack of standards and insufficient skills.

Last October, the NSDA published a study titled “Identifying Skill Gaps in IT Freelancing to Create Employment and Increase Remittances.”

The study found that most Bangladeshi freelancers are young, predominantly male (80 per cent), and urban residents. A majority of them are relatively new to the sector, with less than three years of experience.

While Bangladeshi freelancers excel in graphic design, the study noted that India leads in programming and cybersecurity, the Philippines in virtual assistance and data entry, and Vietnam in 3D modeling.

A key concern highlighted in the study is the mismatch between Bangladesh’s current educational programmes and market demands.

Emerging fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning were identified as critical for the future. Notably, 50 per cent of the respondents emphasised the need for these advanced skills.

The Department of Youth Development has launched a freelancing training project aimed at educated, job-seeking youth across 48 districts in the country.

The project, titled “Creating Employment through Freelancing Training for Educated Job-Seeking Youth,” has a budget of 3 billion taka and has been awarded to E-Learning and Earning Limited, a company owned by Masud Alam, President of the National Youth Council.

This council operates under the Department of Youth Development.

Under this project, some 28,800 people will receive training. Each trainee will also be given a daily allowance of 500 taka during the training period. Attempts to contact Masud Alam’s office for comments on the project were unsuccessful.

To facilitate the training, 25 computers and two labs equipped with high-speed internet will be set up in each of the 48 districts. Each lab will accommodate 25 trainees at a time.

E-Learning and Earning Limited, along with the Department of Youth Development, has announced that the training will focus on topics such as basic computer education, graphic design, and digital marketing—essentially the same old subjects.

The Project Director of the Department of Youth Development, Md. A. Hamid Khan, stated that a similar project had previously been implemented in 16 districts with notable success, and this current project is a continuation of that effort. Notably, the earlier project in 16 districts was also awarded to E-Learning and Earning Limited.

In 2023, the then Planning Minister claimed there were 1.05 million freelancers in the country. However, leading freelancers estimate that only 150,000 to 200,000 freelancers are active. Furthermore, there is no precise data on their income.

According to a report published in Prothom Alo in July, the estimated export revenue generated by Bangladeshi freelancers ranges from 200 million to 250 million dollars annually.

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Freelancer Development Society (BFDS), an organisation representing freelancers, estimates the figure to be $300 million.

Bangladesh’s performance in ICT service exports remains low. The recently published Network Readiness Index gave the country a score of just 8.03 out of 100 in this category.

Professor BM Mainul Hossain from the Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka, pointed out that multiple ministries are conducting similar projects independently, leading to inefficiency. He suggested that such initiatives should be centralised under a single authority.

Although the previous government frequently emphasised the need for coordination among industry, academia, and government, there is no clear framework for achieving this.

Professor Hossain also criticised the lack of stakeholder involvement in identifying domestic and international market needs.

He argued that the root issue lies in the very conception of these projects, emphasising the urgent need for fundamental changes in their execution.

* The report, originally published in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Farjana Liakat