A graduate cannot find suitable work. A factory cannot recruit technicians. A woman leaves her job because childcare and safe transport are unavailable.
These situations reveal Bangladesh's central contradiction: people need opportunities, while employers need skills they cannot find. A large population becomes a strength when investment develops people's abilities and businesses create productive jobs. Calling people an asset means little without explaining how their potential will be realised.
Population pressure and unequal opportunity
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimated Bangladesh's population at 175.7 million in 2025, placing substantial demands on land, housing, food, water, energy and public services.
Population size, the concentration of opportunities and weak institutions require different responses. Slower population growth alone would not ease Dhaka's concentration of jobs and services.
Poorer families also face greater pressure because they cannot afford private alternatives when public services fail. Yet population growth does not inevitably deepen poverty. The World Bank's 2025 assessment reports that moderate poverty fell from 37.1% in 2010 to 18.7% in 2022, despite population growth.
Building capability from childhood
Capability begins with nutrition, nurturing, healthcare and education.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics–UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025 reports that 50.2% of children aged seven to 14 have foundational reading skills, while 39.2% have foundational numeracy skills. Stunting affects 24% of children under five.
The survey also finds that 47.2% of women aged 20 to 24 were first married before the age of 18. Workforce development must therefore begin with maternal health, voluntary family planning, girls' education and protection from early marriage. Social attitudes must also support women's employment and encourage respect for skilled occupations.
How China and Vietnam turned people into a strength
China linked agricultural productivity, industrialisation, infrastructure, education and access to international markets.
A joint World Bank–Chinese study published in 2022 identified these factors, alongside coordinated governance and targeted assistance, as key drivers of poverty reduction. It reported that nearly 800 million people moved above the study's extreme poverty threshold of $1.90 a day over four decades.
Vietnam offers another lesson. The World Bank reports that foreign firms account for 73% of the country's exports, highlighting the importance of developing domestic suppliers. Bangladesh should assess investment in terms of the capabilities it develops and the opportunities it creates for local workers and businesses.
Where potential meets barriers
The World Bank's 2025 poverty assessment identifies stagnant manufacturing job creation, a shift towards less productive employment and stagnant urban job creation outside Dhaka.
Training alone cannot help businesses expand. Firms need reliable utilities, access to finance, predictable administration and fair competition. Workers need relevant skills and affordable access to employment.
Dependence on cheap labour can weaken incentives to improve technology and management. Bangladesh needs firms that pay higher wages because they generate greater value. My experience in military administration, economic zones, corporate management and teaching reinforces one lesson: performance requires preparation, resources, leadership and clear responsibility.
Turning manpower into productive employment: 2027–2030
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics–UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2025 reports that 50.2% of children aged seven to 14 have foundational reading skills, while 39.2% have foundational numeracy skills. Stunting affects 24% of children under five. The survey also finds that 47.2% of women aged 20 to 24 were first married before the age of 18. Workforce development must therefore begin with maternal health, voluntary family planning, girls' education and protection from early marriage.
Phase 1: Identify jobs and provide matching training — 2027
By June, the National Skills Development Authority should coordinate a pilot programme in 10 districts, using one existing training centre in each. Every centre must appoint an officer responsible for employer engagement and job placement.
By September, participating employers must sign agreements specifying required skills, workplace training opportunities, supervision, safety, stipends and recruitment commitments. Public support should depend on these agreements.
By December, each centre should enrol 100 jobseekers in courses lasting three to six months, tailored to documented employer demand.
Phase 2: Secure employment and remove barriers — 2028
Each centre should target paid employment for at least 60% of course completers within three months of completion. Placement officers must follow up on employment status and earnings after six months, supported by independent sample checks.
Centres that miss their targets must explain the shortfall and improve their courses before receiving funding for another batch.
Where childcare or commuting difficulties prevent women from remaining in employment, participating employers should test shared transport arrangements or partnerships with nearby childcare providers. Measures that demonstrably improve employee retention should be continued.
Phase 3: Expand successful pathways — 2029–2030
Expand courses that lead to sustained employment and improved earnings. Experienced workers should have access to practical skills assessments and recognised certificates without having to repeat entire courses.
The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training should arrange overseas training to meet verified vacancies. Before accepting offers, workers must receive language preparation and written details of wages, deductions and recruitment costs.
Assign responsibility and enforce commitments
By June 2027, implementing agencies must submit cost plans to the Finance Division, identifying available funds, additional funding requirements and recurring expenses. Each agency must designate an official accountable for delivery.
Employer agreements must specify consequences for unmet commitments, including corrective action, withheld payments and recovery of misused funds. The Cabinet Division should coordinate quarterly reviews.
Independent assessments in 2028 and 2030 should verify employment outcomes, retention, earnings and the cost per sustained job before further expansion.
Md Nazrul Islam, PhD is a retired Major General from the Bangladesh Army. He was the Executive Chairman of BEPZA and also served in BEZA. He is a regular columnist and writes on technology, workforce transformation and industrial competitiveness. He is the writer of the Zi-DoNa Trilogy, a book on self-development
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of The Business Standard.