What is the number of unemployed in the country?

[Monwarul Islam Rebel]

Can you tell how many people are unemployed in the country? Can't be sure. About six years ago, about 27 lakh people were unemployed in the country. In the last six years, how many people became unemployed or how many people got jobs and lost unemployment, there is no calculation anywhere. Of course, many people have become unemployed due to Corona. Job market is also depressed due to slowdown in business. That statistic does not exist.

Through labor force survey we get information about unemployment, working people, size of labor force. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) last conducted labor force survey six years ago. There was no further survey after that. Recently BBS conducted the next labor force survey. The results of that survey are not yet available. Even the number of people who became unemployed during Covid 19 is not available in official statistics.

Due to these reasons, the actual account of unemployed people is not available. But every year at least 2 million people enter the job market. It is not known how much their employment has been. Economists also have questions about the statistics given by the government. According to them, the actual number of unemployed is much higher than what the government gives.

The number of unemployed is 27 lakh or 1 crore

According to the latest Labor Force Survey 2017-16, the number of unemployed people in Bangladesh is around 27 lakh. The unemployment rate is 4.2 percent. They did not get an opportunity to work an hour a week, so they were marked as unemployed. It is not possible to cover all the expenses including food, travel, accommodation for a whole week by working one hour a week. So those who do not get an opportunity to work for even one hour a week are considered as unemployed in official statistics.

But BBS gives another account, that is, they work less than 35 hours a week, but they are not satisfied with that work. Simply put, many work as tutors, salespeople, ride-share workers like Uber-dispatchers to earn a living without looking for a job or job. They are considered imposters. As of 2016-17, the number of such unemployed is about 66 lakh. If we add the total unemployed to the pseudo unemployed, the number of unemployed is about 1 crore. Economists and researchers believe that the number of impersonators has increased due to Covid 19. A large number of them also run Uber-paths. Many others are involved in the work of salesmen.

In this regard, the executive director of the private research organization South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) Salim Raihan told Prothom Alo that it is not known how many people have been unemployed for several years. The numbers shown in Bangladesh are not credible. Because no one can make a living by working one hour a week. BBS shows 2.7 million unemployed to show unemployment. It is not realistic. He also said that the calculation of unemployment that will be given now, will not get the picture of the large number of people who were unemployed during the Covid. Such a big event will not be in the statistics. This is not acceptable in any way.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the number of unemployed has further decreased as of the preliminary Labor Force Survey 2022. In the new survey, it fell below 4 percent, a responsible source said. The BBS is scheduled to release the preliminary results of the new Labor Force Survey tomorrow, Wednesday.

The battle of definitions does not reveal the true picture According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) definition, a person working for one hour a week is not considered unemployed. If a job seeker is unable to work for an hour a week for wages, they are considered unemployed. This is the international standard definition. However, the context of all countries is not the same. A person in Bangladesh cannot survive the whole week with the wages he gets for working one hour a week. And people in developed countries get wages for working one hour a week. Besides, they are given unemployment benefits by the state. As a result, they do not have much problem to meet the cost of living.

According to the definition of one hour of work per week for wages, the number of unemployed people in Bangladesh is low in official statistics. But the hypocrisy is too much. Those who are looking for work but are not getting work, they are forced to live unemployed life. They are called involuntary unemployment. There are three types of unemployment. Such as asymmetric unemployment, business cycle and structural unemployment.

If there is a shortfall between labor market demand and supply, it is called disproportionate unemployment. Such unemployment is seen in North Bengal and Haor region. Apart from this, unemployment often increases or decreases due to economic growth or recession. As the number of unemployed increased due to covid. Again, unemployment increases due to technological change. Such unemployment is called structural unemployment.

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