New data reveals a small increase in the number of unemployed individuals in the country. In the July-September quarter of 2024, 2.66 million people in the workforce were jobless.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) provided this information in its Quarterly Labor Force Survey for the July-September period of 2024, which was published on Sunday.
The BBS created this list of unemployed individuals following the guidelines of the 19th ICLS (International Conference of Labour Statisticians). According to this method, people who engage in productive activities but do not sell goods or services in the market are considered unemployed. This is the first time the BBS has used this approach for calculation.
Previously, unemployment and labor force data were calculated using the 13th ICLSS. Along with the new calculation, the old calculation has also been provided. According to the old method, the number of unemployed people in the country at the end of last September was 2.55 million, down from 2.64 million in the previous quarter, showing a decrease in unemployment. However, using the new method, the number of unemployed has risen by 20,000.
The BBS survey defines the unemployed population as those who did not engage in any work for at least one hour during the seven days before the survey but were willing to work. They were also ready to work in the two weeks following the survey. Moreover, individuals who have actively searched for paid work, wages, or profit in the past 30 days are classified as unemployed.
The latest quarterly survey reveals that by the end of September 2024, the country's labor force totaled 76 million, with 47.49 million men and 22.57 million women.
Every year, at least two million people join the job market. Of these, 1.3 to 1.4 million find jobs within the country, while the others move abroad for employment. As a result, the unemployment rate has generally stayed between 2.4 million and 2.8 million for the last twenty years.
Bd-pratidin English/ Afia
