Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – The Unnayan Onneshan (UO) projected that total unemployed population may increase to 3.3 million by 2015 if the current trend continues without active actions.
Referring to increasing unemployment, the independent multidisciplinary think-tank said the number of unemployed population increased at an annual rate of 5.29 percent during the period of 2000-2010 and increased from 1.70 million in 2000 to 2.60 million in 2010.
The UO also called for labour-intensive productive capacity expanding restructuring of the economy in order to stave off increasing unemployment and decelerated decline in the incidence of poverty.
“An increasing trend in unemployment together with increased underemployment, declined employment in formal sector, rising youth unemployment, and higher participation of women in labour force,” the research organisation said in its current monthly issue of the Bangladesh Economic Update, released on Saturday.
As regards underemployment which occurs when a person works less than 35 hours in a week, a total of 10.99 million, which is 20.31 percent of the total employed labour force, were underemployed in 2010.
The UO said underemployment is high in rural areas and among the female labour force. In 2010, of total labour force, underemployed labour constitutes 22.67 percent in the rural areas compared to 12.40 percent in the urban areas and 34.15 percent of female workers compared to 14.40 percent of male workers. Of the total number of underemployed labour force, nearly 47 per cent were female.
The number of employed labour in informal sector increased to 47.3 million in 2010 from 29.3 million in 2000 with an annual rate of increase of 6.14 percent, it observed.
BBN/SSR/AD-24May14-3:00pm (BST)
