After two long years, the government has finally decided to conduct a labour force survey aiming to get a more accurate picture of the national economy.
The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) is going to undertake a project this year to do the survey, said officials familiar with the development.
It last surveyed in June 2017, which revealed 40.6 per cent employment in agriculture, 39.0 in service sector and the remaining 20.4 per cent in industry.
The 2016-17 survey also recorded a 4.2 per cent unemployment rate in the country.
The country has data available as of fiscal year '17 on indicators like unemployment, youth force, labour force participation rate and sectoral employment.
The state statistical agency also stopped publishing its quarterly labour force survey since June 2017.
BBS labour and industry wing director Ghoshe Subabrata said they have proposed the 'improving labour market information through labour market survey project' from January 2019 and June 2022.
Asked, he said they regularly published labour force survey between 2015 and 2017 under the 'Labour Market Info System' project.
"After the end of the project, we can't carry out further studies for a lack of funds," he told the FE.
"We've sought Tk 200 million for the proposed project."
"We will form the primary sample units very soon to go for field operation," Mr Subabrata said.
The BBS technical committee will determine factors like sample size and methodology of the project.
"We're expecting to deliver data on labour market and others from July 2019," he said.
Dr Khandoker Golam Moazzem, director (research) at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said it is good news that the BBS has finally initiated to conduct labour force survey (LFS).
"But it couldn't conduct such survey for the past one year and a half for fund crisis," he told the FE.
"It should deliver data on such sectors on regular basis for proper reading of the economy."
Dr Moazzem said the delay in publishing such reports makes it difficult to understand the domestic labour market situation and other economic indicators.
Apart from broader sectors, he said, the BBS should also deliver data on the major generators of jobs like garment sector.
The country is now focusing on more capital intensive industrialisation following its graduation to the middle-income group, he added.
For that, the government needs data on labour market on a regular basis in the short period of time, Dr Moazzem pointed out.
"The LFS should be conducted under the BBS' regular programme from the revenue budget instead of the project-based ones," he added.
Researcher Md Iqbal Hossain of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies said unemployment rates remained almost static for the past eight years when the country achieved an average 6.5 per cent growth.
"So, we need proper data on labour market to understand why such higher growth couldn't help minimising unemployment," he added.
The government has set an ambitious employment generation target of 3.7 million annually in the Seventh Five-Year Plan (7FYP).
Mr Hossain said the government estimation on employment is 1.8-2.0 million annually, including employment both at home and abroad.
"If we don't get proper data on labour market regularly, how could we measure our development on the basis of the 7FYP?" he questioned.
Mr Hossain said the country is now focusing on inclusive growth through generating full and productive employment and decent work for all.
The BBS should provide labour market data on regular basis which could help the government attain its economic goals, he continued.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com