Bangladesh – Where is the demographic dividend ?

In Bangladesh, the proportion of the population at or below working age is among the highest in the world and almost a third of the population is between ages 15-30. A young population means a young workforce full of innovation and productivity. However, youth unemployment in Bangladesh remains a festering wound to the economy — the primary factors behind it being poverty, lack of education and skills. 

Opportunities of reaping the benefits of a demographic dividend — the potential economic boost due to a young population — are slipping away as we speak because a considerable portion of our (young) population remains unskilled and uneducated. While the garment industry is considered the golden goose of our economy, we are failing to capitalise on the once-in-a-lifetime demographic dividend by not producing adequate high-skilled labour.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at The delusion of Bangladesh’s cheap labour | The Daily Star.