Bangladesh’s Job Market Grows, But Key Sectors Face Decline
Non-farm jobs in Bangladesh grew by 25 percent in the last ten years. This increase added millions of new workers to the economy. But this growth was not even across all sectors. Some industries created many new jobs, while others lost workers.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) reported these findings. Their “Economic Census 2024 (Volume-2)” shows total non-farm jobs. It rose from 24.5 million in 2013 to over 30.6 million in 2024. This growth happened in various fields outside of farming.
The manufacturing sector added the most jobs. It grew from 7.1 million workers in 2013 to over 9 million in 2024. This was a 25.7 percent increase. Manufacturing now employs the highest number of people in the non-farm economy.
However, the wholesale and retail trade sector saw a decline. This was one of the largest job sectors in 2013. But it lost almost 219,000 jobs. Employment in this sector fell by 2.6 percent over the decade.
Some smaller sectors grew very fast. Administrative and support services saw a 255.1 percent increase in jobs. The construction sector grew by 248.1 percent. Arts, entertainment, and recreation jobs went up by 237.4 percent.
Other sectors also showed good growth. Education jobs rose by 65.5 percent. Human health and social work increased by 69.9 percent. The information and communication sector grew by 63.9 percent.
Not all sectors added jobs. The mining and quarrying sector had a big drop. It lost 73 percent of its jobs over ten years. Employment fell from 64,444 in 2013 to 17,426 in 2024.
Professor Md. Ridhwanul Haq from Dhaka University’s IBA said the 25 percent job growth is likely. But he wants to review the BBS survey method. He noted that mining jobs fell because of less activity in the country. Also, there are not enough skilled workers for these jobs.
