Market-driven skills gateway to youth employment

It is generally recognised that with the growth of technology, particularly information communication technology (ICT), youth employment all over the world is becoming increasingly reliant on the fast emerging needs of diverse skills in workplaces. Countries across the world are faced with this challenge as young people should not only be guided to prepare themselves accordingly, but facilities should also be created by the governments to that end.

While this is an inescapable reality for all countries, the crux of the issue is: how far young people are able to embrace this reality. A report prepared by the UNICEF in collaboration with Generation Unlimited and PwC says young people across the world aren't able to identify or acquire the skills needed for today's job market, contributing to global skills gap and exacerbating youth unemployment. It says young people are unable to identify which skills they need for future employment opportunities. They are also unable to access relevant skills training, and employers lack a standard way to verify the skills jobseekers claim to have. The report notes that there is a disconnect between requirements and education and training systems. "A global skills gap, economic decline and an employment market that requires more complex and diverse skills than ever before have contributed to a 12 per cent drop in youth employment over the past two decades. Governments and businesses must come together to give today's young people the skills and opportunities they need to access meaningful employment and thrive in today's job market," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director in connection with the publication of the report.

While this is a shared global concern, its impact is particularly acute in developing countries like ours. For decades, the country's demographic dividend -- its large pool of young people -- was channelled into the garment industry at home and into migrant work abroad. In both cases, the demand was largely for unskilled or semi-skilled labour. This strategy served Bangladesh well in earlier decades, helping drive growth and reduce poverty. But with the rise of automation, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence, reliance on cheap labour alone is no longer sustainable.

Bangladesh today has one of the largest youth populations in South Asia. This youthful workforce is both an asset and a potential liability. Unless equipped with market-driven skills, these young men and women risk being left behind, unemployed or underemployed, as job markets at home and abroad demand higher competencies.

The vulnerabilities of Bangladeshi youth became starkly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many young workers, particularly in the informal sector and migrant workforce, lost jobs and incomes, while opportunities for new entrants shrank. Although recovery is underway, the pandemic exposed deep structural weaknesses: inadequate training systems, weak industry-academia linkages, and limited digital literacy among youth.

Despite being called tech savvy, most young people in Bangladesh lack job-ready digital skills. Surveys have shown that while social media use is widespread, competencies in areas like data analysis, programming, digital marketing, or cybre-security remain low. This gap threatens to block access to the millions of new jobs expected to emerge in sectors driven by the digital economy -- from IT-enabled services to fintech, healthcare, logistics, and creative industries.

Bangladesh has initiated several programmes to address the challenge. The Skills for Employment Investment Programme (SEIP), supported by the Asian Development Bank, has been a significant step towards developing demand-driven skills and linking trainees with employment opportunities. Private sector organisations and NGOs, too, have launched training centres and bootcamps focusing on entrepreneurship, freelancing, and ICT-based employment.

Yet, despite these initiatives, gaps remain. Training opportunities are still limited compared to the size of the youth population. Coordination between government, industry and educational institutions is weak. Too often, academic curricula fail to align with industry requirements, leaving graduates ill-prepared for available jobs. Moreover, certification and verification systems are fragmented, making it difficult for employers -- both domestic and international-to assess the competencies of Bangladeshi workers.

The UNICEF-Generation Unlimited report offers lessons that Bangladesh can adapt to its context. It presents pathways such as, developing a national skills mapping system that identifies gaps in competencies across sectors; integrating corporate training models into national programmes; creating national and regional skills forums where businesses, universities, vocational institutions, and youth representatives collaborate regularly to adapt strategies to changing realities.

Bangladesh stands at a crossroads. On the one hand, the traditional sources of youth employment -- garments and overseas migration -- will remain important, but they are unlikely to generate sufficient opportunities in the long run. On the other hand, the rise of digital economies, freelancing, remote work, and service outsourcing present enormous possibilities. Already, Bangladesh is a supplier of online freelancers, but most are engaged in low-paying, entry-level tasks. With better training, young Bangladeshis could move up the value chain into higher-paying, more specialised roles.

The future of youth employment in Bangladesh will depend less on the availability of jobs and more on the readiness of young people to seize them. Without the right skills, the country risks squandering its demographic dividend and facing rising frustration among its youth.

In the long run, progress will not be measured simply by how many training centres are established or how many certificates are issued, but by how effectively young Bangladeshis are able to thrive in a fast-changing world of work. The stakes are high, but so too are the opportunities.

wasiahmed.bd@gmail.com