Women’s jobless rate fallsUnemployment for men rises in Jan-Mar

The number of unemployed men in the country increased in the first three months of the year from the same period last year, while female unemployment has fallen, according to a report released by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Monday.

The overall unemployment rate shot past 3.5% in Jan-March period, up from 3.36% averaged last year.

The number of unemployed men was 1.74 million in January-March. In the same period in 2023, this figure was 1.71 million, indicating a marginal annual increase. Conversely, female unemployment has seen a reduction of 30,000 compared to the corresponding period last year, with the current number of unemployed women standing at 8.50 lakh.

The BBS released the Labor Force Survey on a quarterly basis on Monday.

The report said the country's unemployment rate has shown a slight increase, with notable shifts in gender-specific figures. The total number of unemployed individuals stands at 25.90 lakh, reflecting a marginal uptick from the previous year.

BBS adheres to the International Labor Organization's (ILO) criteria, defining unemployment as those actively seeking work for at least a month and unable to secure employment for at least an hour in the past seven days.

Despite a consistent number of unemployed individuals recorded in the first quarter of 2023, this year saw a modest rise, pushing the current unemployment rate to 3.51%.

In response to these findings, a senior official from BBS underscored the marginal manipulability of unemployment figures, attributing fluctuations to seasonal factors and the natural ebb and flow of job opportunities, particularly during regular winters.

The labor force landscape paints a broader picture, revealing a considerable segment outside the workforce, encompassing approximately 4.82 crore individuals. Comprising students, the infirm, elderly, and other non-working demographics, this segment underscores the complexity of labor dynamics beyond traditional employment metrics.

The survey further delineates the labor force composition, comprising 7.37 crore individuals, among whom 7.11 crore are gainfully employed. The rest are unemployed.

According to the latest survey report, the majority of employment is in the agriculture sector. According to the BBS, during the January-March period this year, 3.18 crore individuals worked in the agriculture sector, 1.27 crore in the industrial sector, and 2.65 crore in the service sector. Comparatively, during the October-December 2023 period, there were 3.17 crore individuals engaged in the agricultural sector, 1.24 crore in the industrial sector, and 2.68 crore in the service sector.