Fighting Unemployment and Poverty

Abstract

Bangladesh is a least developed country (LDC). With so many development requirements it is fighting to reduce unemployment and provide employment opportunity to all of its workable population. There are about 160.41 million people in Bangladesh. The median age of Bangladeshi population is 26. That means it is dominating by the young force. It is high time to take the population dividend for Bangladesh. But the matter of fact is that, there are about 3 million working age people unemployed; they are neither in education nor in job. Additional 2.2 million educated young forces are entering into job market every year. Another 10.6 million people are day labourer / doing odd job without any job security. Therefore till now 24.8% of the total populations living below the poverty line and extreme poor people are about 6.5% of its total population. Huge working age population, growing number of higher educated population and population dividend etc. issues are not matching with its 25% poverty affected people. It is because we have working hands but the government is failing to offer job to them. It is impossible for any government to offer job to its all population. But the government has a great responsibility to create such a congenial environment in which a person will go for self-employment through entrepreneurship development and employ another five persons in it. The government could inspire private sector for more investment and expansion which will lead to more employment generation, faster GDP growth, increased value addition and export earnings.