More than one in six young people have stopped working since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic while those who remain employed have seen their working hours cut by 23 percent, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said Wednesday.
According to the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work: 4th edition, the youth are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and the substantial and rapid increase in youth unemployment seen since February is affecting young women more than young men.
“The pandemic is inflicting a real shock on Bangladesh’s vulnerable youth population,” said Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director of ILO Bangladesh.
“Job prospects have vastly reduced. For youth to be provided paths for positive future, education and skills training need to be greatly invested in. Sadly, young women workers – who were already struggling in low-paid and informal sector jobs – are being worst hit.”
He said the ILO is working together with the government to design and develop education and skills development schemes, entrepreneurship training, as well as employment and training guarantee schemes that specifically target young people, particularly those who are the most vulnerable.
More than one in four youth (27.39 percent) in Bangladesh are not in employment, education or training (NEET), says ILO.
Every year, two-million young men and women enter the labour market. More than one in three entrants are youth (35 percent) and of this group, 99 percent are unskilled.
In 2016-17, 1.78-million jobs were created. The target was 3.9 million. Some 60 percent of the population is of working age; 32.4m workers are aged 15-29.
ILO said the country is yet to capitalise on this young ‘demographic dividend’ and needs more training, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship opportunities. ♦
