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What the papers say

Open for Business

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labour market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star and The Financial Express. Here is the news for the week ending 28 May 2020.

This Week in the Bangladesh English News…

…blacklisting buyers? Bangladeshi garment suppliers push back. Japan may invest, and while farmers face the consequences of cyclone Amphan, offices are allowed to open after two months of COVID closures.

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What the papers say

Inclusive Growth Steady

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 25 January 2018.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

…we hear about the two-day Bangladesh Development Forum and garments trade show. We also learn about the growing income gap between the rich and the poor. On a positive note, Bangladesh is ahead of its South Asian competitors in the World Economic Forum’s Inclusive Development Index list of emerging economies. And Bangladesh is optimistic about becoming a poverty-free country by 2024.

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What the papers say

Development Initiatives

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 2nd November 2017.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

…we hear about new initiatives to boost development. New trade agreements are formed to increase business relationships. Markets of garments and agricultural products are prospering. Foreign investors are keen to invest. But the complexities of doing business in the country have become a major barrier.

Some farmers are still struggling. Workers are unhappy with wage discrimination and harassment. Remittance inflow was the lowest in six years. And women continue to feel threatened by child marriage and workplace discrimination.

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What the papers say

Trade and Investment

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 26th October, 2017.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

Trade and FDI in Bangladesh have increased. While there have been a few success stories, some problems still exist.

Agriculture continues to face challenges. Some farmers have enjoyed good crop cultivation, whereas others had to bear losses. Banks have shown interest in increasing agriculture loans. This is likely to boost the sector.

Workers both within and outside Bangladesh suffered misfortunes. Unsafe working condition is a major cause. Productivity among women garments workers needs to increase.

The Government has taken good initiatives to enhance women empowerment. Such as access to bank loans, opening help centers for women entrepreneurs and increasing women’s participation in IT related jobs. The Government is also focusing on youth development and employment.

The National Board of Revenue is set to hold tax fairs, workshops and conduct studies.

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What the papers say

Youth and Farming

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 19th October, 2017.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

The fight against early marriage and the exploitation of women continues. Early marriages among village girls is still common. Activists, police and the Bangladeshi government  stop child marriages almost every day. The exploitation of women at work and home often goes unreported.

Agriculture in Bangladesh is a diverse enterprise. Some farmers and fishermen struggle while others thrive.

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What the papers say

Garment Exports Up

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 10th November 2016.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

…Donors adjust support to Bangladesh. Export earnings fail expectations while Government battles for trade privileges. Government to set up manpower authority for economic zones and expand youth training programme. Pay packets are squeezed forBangladeshi workers oversees.  And music makers drop a beat while sesame farming opens for business.

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What the papers say

Rice Farmers Compete

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 21st July 2016.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

…a new variety of rice gives farmers a competitive edge in the export market . We see the benefits and risks for Bangladesh workers in the Middle East. And schools are not preparing young people for jobs.

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Issues in the Labour Market

Transitions: Next Steps

Youth face many challenges trying to find work, and attaining a certain level of education or certain skills will only get them so far. Not only do skills training programs need to do a better job teaching youth the best and most up-to-date technical skills, they need to teach youth better soft skills. That was made clear by the last post. However, that only tells half the story. Employers also need to be better recipients and need to adopt better practices to get the most of their new, inexperienced youth employees.

To better understand some of these issues, we asked employers and human resource experts what they thought.

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What the papers say

Banking in Rice

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 16th June 2016.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

the government extends primary education to class 8 in 20,000 schools and launches an e-learning platform for the rural population. ILO insists  trade union registration is simple and transparent. There are still around 3.4 million children in Bangladesh who work in poor conditions. Bangladesh will receive US $51 million from Denmark to ensure pro poor growth and sustainable development. while farmers struggle to engage in public procurement. And duck farming yields benefits for the poor.

Categories
Issues in the Labour Market

Transitions: To Work

It is clear that continued education and skills training offer better futures for youth as they enter into the workforce.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and the International Labour Organisation define youth as those aged 15-24.   As seen in the last post, youth face challenges even when they boast strong skills or high educational attainment.

Moving towards the other end of the spectrum, it is also important to consider what the experience is like for employers as these youths enter the workplace. As Bangladesh looks to take advantage of the demographic dividend, are the incoming youth workers trained well enough to take on such a task, or are their skills lacking?

Subsequently, how do employers have to accommodate under-experienced and sometimes ill equipped youth, or do they think youth are equipped with the right skills?

In this post, we explore skills training and what can be done to improve the experience of employers as they welcome an influx of new workers over the coming years.