About the project

Partner: The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)
Project duration: July 2025 – November 2025

This study, “Beyond Jobless Growth: Rethinking Youth Employment in Bangladesh through a Post-Neoliberal Lens”, will focus on the evolving dynamics of youth employment in Bangladesh. Despite sustained GDP growth and economic diversification, young people face increasing barriers to quality employment marked by informality, skills deficits, underemployment, and gender disparities. The study will critically examine the limitations of conventional neoliberal strategies and propose a post-neoliberal framework that emphasises inclusive growth, decent work, and sustainability. Using a mixed-methods approach, combining a systematic review of literature and policy documents with descriptive analysis of Labour Force Survey data, it will investigate structural impediments, policy gaps, and sectoral employment patterns. By focusing on sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, services, care economy, green jobs, and digital work, the study aims to inform coherent, forward-looking employment policies. It will contribute to national policy discourse at a time when Bangladesh stands at a critical juncture in its demographic transition, seeking to unlock the potential of its youth for a fairer and more resilient future.

Objectives of the Study:

• Identify structural and institutional barriers to quality youth employment in Bangladesh.
• Analyse policy gaps and sectoral trends affecting youth employment outcomes.
• Examine youth employment through a post-neoliberal lens promoting inclusivity and decent work.
• Propose alternative job creation strategies based on state-led, equitable development.
• Provide evidence to inform forward-looking and coherent employment policies.
• Support dialogue among stakeholders to enhance policy responses for youth employment.