Unemployment among educated people rises, alongside lack of skills

Sabbir Rahman completed his post-graduation two years ago. Although he finished his institutional degree, his studying hasn't stopped. He still has to study, but not university curriculums—rather, job preparation materials. He stays with friends in a mess in Agargaon, Dhaka. Regularly, he applies for government jobs and sits for exams but has not yet secured a job.

Sabbir completed his post-graduation in social work under the National University from a government college in Tangail. Even though he received a certificate from the National University after his studies, he doubts its value in entering professional life. Reflecting on the first day of his university life, he told Prothom Alo, "I was so excited that day, but now I’m equally frustrated."

Sabbir is not alone. This frustration is shared by countless youth. Even though opportunities for higher education have increased, employment opportunities haven't grown proportionally. Meanwhile, the job market is facing a shortage of skilled workers.

The University Grants Commission's (UGC) annual report last year stated that about 60–70 per cent of the country's graduates come from the National University.

A large portion of these students study social sciences, humanities, business studies, and some science-based subjects. However, a significant part of them face a skills deficit when entering the job market, according to industrialists.

This crisis is more pronounced in specialised sectors. Many applicants have a general understanding of technology but lack business problem-solving, product creation, and practical application skills.

Tasfiya Tasbin, the entrepreneur behind Bangladesh automation platform ''Markopolo. ai,'' has had similar experiences. She told Prothom Alo, for each position, they receive hundreds of applications.

However, only 10–15 can perform well in problem-solving tests. Ultimately, only five or six suitable workers are found. In her words, "There is no shortage of applicants but a shortage of qualified candidates."

Due to a lack of qualified workers locally, Tasfiya mentioned they employ foreign workers virtually, leading to an outflow of money from the country. She believes university curricula need updating alongside technological changes and suggests involving industry experts in syllabus creation and increasing long-term internship opportunities for students.

While industrialists mention a shortage of competent workers, competition is abnormally rising in sectors requiring less skill. Recently, for 312 positions at the 16th grade in the Department of Social Services, 1,234,409 applications were submitted. In the recruitment exam, there were 3,956 competitors per position.

16th grade jobs are mainly considered as class three administrative and clerical support roles, but the majority of highly educated young people are showing interest in these positions.

Sabbir Rahman, mentioned at the beginning of this report, is also trying for a 16th-grade job.

Economists are questioning the future economic security of the country under such scenarios. It's not just that less-skilled youths are opting for government jobs; considering social context and economic security, many are also turning to lower-level government jobs.

Not only is there fierce competition for government jobs, but job website BDJobs reports that, on average, 513 candidates are applying for each position advertised. BDJobs provided this information, analysing data from January to June 2026.

Looking at a survey from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), one can understand how much the number of educated unemployed has increased.

According to the survey, in 2017, there were 405,000 graduate unemployed in the country. By 2024, this number had increased to about 885,000 (557,000 men and 328,000 women). In other words, there are 480,000 more highly educated unemployed than eight years ago, representing a 119 per cent increase.

The survey indicates that the number of educated unemployed is higher in rural areas than in cities. Of the total educated unemployed, 571,000 are in rural areas and 314,000 in cities. The majority of them are young, with 76. 3 per cent 15 to 29.

Young graduates have certificates but are not getting jobs. The question is, where does the problem lie? Is it a lack of skills, the education system, or is the industry not creating enough jobs?

Scholars have pointed out several reasons why educated youth remain unemployed for years: flawed education system, lack of quality labs and research, and mismatch between job market demand and curricula. Even those who join jobs are often unable to engage in diverse economic activities. Economists say to build a strong economy in the future, new sectors for production and export must be added.

Therefore, merely producing more graduates is not sufficient; skilled graduates are needed.

A study involving students who took higher education under the National University from various government colleges revealed that about 28 per cent of graduates were still unemployed three to four years after graduation.

Women's situations are even worse. While 20 per cent of male graduates face unemployment, it's about 34 per cent for females. This research was conducted in 2023 by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).

In the BIDS survey, employers’ opinions were also captured. Employers stated they prioritise information technology skills, English proficiency, communication skills, problem-solving ability, and teamwork—fields where graduates often lack prowess. While graduates have good skills in the Bengali language and positive attitudes towards work, ''soft skills'' necessary for international competition (like personal and behavioural skills, teamwork, problem-solving) are seldom found.

In a World Bank report titled ''Bangladesh Skills for Tomorrow's Jobs,'' it is emphasised that the problem is not just about learning English or computers. Advanced thinking skills, leadership qualities, and teamwork culture are largely missing among Bangladeshi workers. Additionally, due to a weak foundation in primary and secondary education, many students lag in basic literacy and math before reaching tertiary education, making it difficult to compensate at the university level.

Another reason for graduates not attaining adequate skills is the curricula not being modernised according to industry needs. The World Bank report states that due to the slow process of updating curricula, graduates are still overly reliant on rote memorisation and written exams, even in fields like engineering and science-technology where practical skills should be emphasised more. Consequently, many graduate without hands-on experience in laboratories and workshops.

Employers share similar sentiments. Abdul Muktadir, President of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries, told Prothom Alo that universities are trying to update curricula according to industry demands. However, the pace of industry advancement is faster than the supply of skilled graduates, necessitating ongoing training even after hiring due to foundational weaknesses in education. He believes strengthening practical knowledge and basic skills at universities is crucial, alongside increasing research work.

Several major weaknesses in producing skilled personnel have become evident in surveys. According to the World Bank report, these weaknesses start from the school level, where many students have weak foundations in reading, writing, and math. As they progress, they often also lack problem-solving skills. These deficits carry over into their university education and manifest as a significant inability to create employment despite being educated.

Experts mention that the less knowledgeable young people are in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, the higher the chances they will remain unemployed. A global method for determining graduates' skills is by measuring STEM education participation (science, technology, engineering, mathematics).

A country with high STEM education participation typically has a more robust economic foundation and system. The World Bank points out that Bangladeshi students are less proficient in STEM education compared to students in other countries, hindering the country's ability to build a sustainable economy.

According to the World Bank, the current percentage of STEM graduates is 11.13 per cent of total graduates in Bangladesh. This data is provided by relevant government sources to the World Bank. However, the World Bank hasn't updated Bangladesh's data after 2020. As of 2020, the rate was in decline.

Presenting STEM graduate data at a recent seminar held in the capital, Professor M Niaz Asadullah of the Department of Economics at the University of Dhaka urged the rapid increase of STEM graduates.

Comparing several countries, he showed that in 2014-15, STEM graduates made up 11.20 per cent of higher education graduates in Bangladesh. By the 2023-24 period, it increased to 12.10 per cent, a rise of only 0. 9 percentage points over nearly eight years.

During the same period, the proportion of STEM graduates in Vietnam increased by 3.80 percentage points, by 3.40 in Thailand, 3.20 in Indonesia, 2.70 in Sri Lanka, 2.60 in Nepal and the Philippines, 2.30 in India, and 1.70 percentage points in Pakistan. Professor Asadullah presented these findings based on data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and his research.

Professor Asadullah told Prothom Alo that as STEM education rates increase, so does the resilience and nature of the country's economy. The reason for comparison with these countries is that Bangladesh competes significantly with them in various economic sectors. Not capturing the necessary production and competitive market could leave Bangladesh trailing in various economic indicators compared to these countries.

Highlighting Bangladesh's dual crisis, he pointed out that on one hand, while the number of STEM graduates necessary to fortify the economy is not rising, those pursuing subjects like science, technology, and engineering also lack adequate skill acquisition opportunities.

Due to the lack of adequately skilled graduates per industry requirements, the youth are falling behind in the job market. Consequently, even though the number of highly educated individuals is increasing, the number of unemployed is not decreasing. Recently, the government declared the semiconductor industry as a strategically important sector and a national priority following the garment industry as the next pillar for Bangladesh's economy. Semiconductors manufacture chips and other components used in smartphones, computers, cars, televisions, and medical equipment.

Industrialists say those coming into the industry with formal education need additional training to understand industry work environments and ensure skill competency, which increases costs and hampers competitive positioning. Particularly semiconductor and chip designing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, advanced robotics and automation, blockchain, and cybersecurity sectors are facing the most acute workforce shortages.

Tarek Khan, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Prime Silicon Technology Limited, a company working with semiconductors and chip design, told Prothom Alo that they must spend considerable time and money adapting new employees to the industrial environment. To alleviate such crises, he recommends modernising university curricula.

According to economists and educationists, lagging in STEM education can present significant problems for Bangladesh in the future. Countries like Vietnam and India are advancing into artificial intelligence and automation technologies with their skilled workforce. Bangladesh is far behind in this regard.

From a social perspective, government jobs or going abroad is still often prioritised over other good jobs in Bangladesh. As a result, after university, a large portion of the youth focus on seeking government employment, as seen in Sabbir's story. Despite holding a university certificate, he is preparing for various 16th-grade positions.

CPD’s additional Research Director Towfiqul Islam Khan highlighted the importance of aligning education and the job market, telling Prothom Alo that while there are a large number of job applicants, their skills often don't match employers' requirements. Thus, young individuals remain waiting for jobs, and, simultaneously, organisations cannot find skilled workers. In his view, merely increasing the number of students in higher education isn't sufficient. Opportunities must be created for students to acquire necessary knowledge and practical skills during their studies. If the highly educated do not achieve employable skills, and STEM graduates do not increase, the future economic crisis will worsen.

#This article, originally published in Prothom Alo print and online editions, has been rewritten in English by Rabiul Islam.