Business
Job Circular: Benapole Custom House will hire 94 staff in grades 11 to 20
Benapole Custom House has published recruitment circular. The institute will employ 94 staff in grades 11 to 20 on temporary basis. Interested candidates have to apply by filling the form online.
Post Name: Computer Operator
No. of Posts: 4
Qualification: Bachelor's Degree (Honours) in Science or equivalent from a recognized University; Must have passed Standard Aptitude Test in the relevant subject with a speed of 25 words per minute in Bengali and 30 words per minute in English in Computer Typing.
Pay Scale: TK.12,500–30,230 (Grade-11)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All districts except Mymensingh district. However, orphans and physically challenged candidates of all districts can apply.
Post Name: Typist cum Computer Operator
No. of Posts: 2
Qualification: Bachelor's degree or equivalent with CGPA of second class or equivalent from a recognized university; Computer skills; Minimum speed of computer typing is 25 words per minute in Bengali and 30 words in English; The minimum speed of transcription should be 50 words per minute in Bengali and 80 words per minute in English.
Pay Scale: TK.11,000-26,590 (Grade-13)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Senior Assistant
No. of Posts: 6
Qualification: Bachelor's degree or equivalent with CGPA of second class or equivalent from a recognized university; Computer skills; The minimum speed of computer typing should be 25 words per minute in Bengali and 30 words in English.
Pay Scale: Tk 10,200-24,680 (Grade-14)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Cashier
No. of Posts: 1
Qualification: Graduation Degree/Equivalent Pass from recognized University. However, preference will be given to Bachelor Degree holders in Commerce. At the time of joining the service, the required security must be submitted as per rules.
Pay Scale: Tk 10,200-24,680 (Grade-14)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Assistant Cashier cum Computer Operator
No. of Posts: 2
Qualification: Graduation or equivalent degree with CGPA of Second Class or equivalent from recognized University; Computer skills; Minimum speed of computer typing is 25 words per minute in Bengali and 30 words in English; The minimum speed of transcription should be 45 words per minute in Bengali and 70 words per minute in English.
Pay Scale: Tk 10,200-24,680 (Grade-14)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Office Gay Cum Computer Literate
No. of Posts: 5
Qualification: HSC or equivalent pass with second division or equivalent GPA; Computer skills; The minimum speed of computer typing should be 20 words per minute in Bengali and 20 words in English.
Pay Scale: TK.9,300-22,490 (Grade-16)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Driver
No. of Posts: 10
Qualification: Junior School Certificate or equivalent pass. Must have a valid light driving license to drive a light vehicle. Preference will be given to candidates with experience.
Pay Scale: Rs.9,300-22,490 (Grade-16)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Telephone Operator
No. of Posts: 1
Qualification: Three years experience as a telephone operator with HSC pass.
Pay Scale: TK.9, 300-22,490 (Grade-16)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Sepoy
No. of Posts: 56
Qualification: SSC Pass. Minimum height of five feet four inches for male candidates and five feet two inches for females. Chest size 30-32 inches (both cases).
Pay Scale: TK.9,000-21,800 (Grade-17)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Photocopy Operator
No. of Posts: 2
Qualification: HSC or equivalent pass with second division or equivalent GPA. Must have practical experience in operating photocopy machine and computer skills.
Pay Scale: TK.8,800-21,310 (Grade-18)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Post Name: Electrician
No. of Posts: 1
Qualification: SSC (Trade) Pass. Or having obtained Vocational Certificate from an institute approved by Govt.
Pay Scale: TK.8,500-20,570 (Grade-19)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts
Post Name: Office Assistant
No. of Posts: 3
Qualification: SSC or equivalent pass.
Pay Scale: TK.8,250-20,010 (Grade-20)
Districts where candidates can apply: All districts except Jessore, Barisal, Patuakhali and Chuadanga districts. However, orphans and physically challenged candidates of all districts can apply.
Post Name: Security Guard
No. of Posts: 1
Eligibility: 8th class pass. Must be in good health.
Pay Scale: TK.8, 250-20,010 (Grade-20)
Districts from which candidates can apply: All Districts.
Age Limit: General Candidate’s age should be between 18 to 30 years as on 1 November 2022. However, the age limit is 18 to 32 years in the case of children of freedom fighters/martyrs and physically challenged. Apart from this, candidates can apply even if their age is within the maximum age limit of 25 March 2020.
How to Apply on Custom Job Circular
Interested candidates should apply by filling the form on this website (http://bch.teletalk.com.bd/). Detailed information regarding application procedure, fee submission and recruitment is available on Bonapole Custom House website ( https://www.bch.gov.bd/) . If there is any problem in applying online, you can call on Teletalk number 121 or mail to [email protected]. Apart from this, you can also contact through messages on the Facebook page of Teletalk's job portal. The subject of the mail and message should mention the name of the organization and position, user ID and contact number.
Application Fee: Within 72 hours of filling the form online, the total application fee is Tk 334 including Tk 300 for post number 1 and Tk 34 for teletalk service charge; A total of Tk 223 including Tk 200 and Teletalk service charge Tk 23 for posts 2 to 8 and Tk 100 for posts 9 to 13 and Tk 112 including Teletalk service charge Tk 12 should be submitted via SMS from Teletalk prepaid mobile number.
Application Deadline: 31 October to 20 November 2022, up to 3 PM.
Apple's sales and profits up despite slow economy
Apple managed to boost both its sales and profit during a summertime quarter that depressed the fortunes of most other major tech companies, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the iPhone maker will be immune to a potential recession.
Even though Apple fared reasonably well, the July-September results released Thursday signaled that the world’s most valuable company is facing some of the same economic headwinds that hammered the profits of Microsoft and the corporate parents of both Google and Facebook.
Apple’s fiscal fourth quarter revenue rose 8% from the same time last year to $90.1 billion. That was an improvement from the scant 2% uptick in revenue during its April-June quarter when supply problems caused by pandemic-related factory shutdowns dinged its sales.
The Cupertino, California, company’s profit for the most recent quarter totaled $20.72 billion, or $1.29 per share, up by less than 1% from the same time last year.
Both the revenue and earnings per share were slightly above analyst estimates. But on the downside, sales of Apple’s most popular product, the iPhone, and another big moneymaker, and the services division, were both lower than analysts had been anticipating — a sign consumers may be cutting back amid the highest inflation in 40 years.
Apple is facing “increasingly difficult economic conditions,” CEO Tim Cook acknowledged during a Thursday conference call with analysts. “A lot of people in a lot of places are struggling.”
Those challenges are one of the reasons Apple expects its revenue growth to decelerate during the current October-December period, even though this year’s quarter will include one more week than last year’s, Apple’s Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri warned during conference call. The strong U.S. dollar, which has lowered Apple’s reported sales internationally, is also contributing to the anticipated slowdown.
Investors initially reacted negatively after Maestri’s made that forecast, driving down Apple’s shares by about 3% in extended trading, but seemed to be feeling more optimistic about the company’s prospects by the time management concluded the conference call. Apple’s shares were up by more than 1% late Thursday. Mirroring other once high-flying stocks in tech, Apple’s stock still has dropped almost 20% so far in 2022.
The iPhone — still Apple’s marquee product 15 years after its debut – accounted for most of its success during the past quarter, even though the company didn’t sell quite as many of the devices as analysts had hoped. Boosted by the release of four new models in late September, iPhones sales climbed 10% from the same time last year to $42.63 billion.
But industry analysts are starting to fret over how much longer consumers will splurge on new phones as they feel the pinch of the past year’s stubbornly high inflation rates. If those financial pressures persist, it could cause more households to curtail their spending during the holiday shopping season, especially on the kind of pricey gadgets that are Apple’s cornerstone.
That’s one of the primary reasons the research firm International Data Corp. is now expecting worldwide smartphone shipments this year to fall 6.5% from 2021, a downward revision of three full percentage points — translating into about 150 million fewer devices being sold — from an earlier forecast made in May.
Apple won’t suffer as much as the makers of phones running on Google’s Android operating system, IDC predicted, but it still will result in a significant slowdown. IDC projects iPhone shipments will edge up by less 0.5%, with the average selling price of the device hovering around $950. Through the first nine months of this year, iPhone sales are up 6% from last year.
“We knew Apple’s iPhone business was slowing down, but we’re also starting to see that trickle into their services segment which will be one cause for concern,” said Investing.com analyst Jesse Cohen.
Maestri told analysts that weaker sales of advertising and gaming were the biggest drag on the services division during the most recent quarter.
Car importers still unable to open LCs from banks
Despite fulfilling the criteria of 100 percent margin, importers cannot open letters of credit (LCs) from the banks for importing cars, pushing this business to dire straits.
Businessmen said this during the second meeting of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) standing committee on automobile in Dhaka Thursday.
In Bangladesh, cars have long been considered luxury items, and the government has imposed a 100 percent LC margin on importing cars to deal with the dollar crisis. However, in the context of the country's current economic growth, cars have appeared as a necessary item, they said.
"There is no alternative to trucks and pickups for goods transport on the road. These vehicles kept the supply chain running during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic," the businessmen said.
They urged the government to keep cars out of the luxury list and called for incentives for hybrid cars like in other countries.
Read: Automobile industry lacks policy to grow in Bangladesh: FBCCI
In contrast to the global trend, in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority BRTA does not register electric vehicles. So, businessmen urged the government to introduce registration policies for electric vehicles.
FBCCI Vice-President and Director in-charge of the committee Md Habib Ullah Dawn said: "During this global crisis, we agreed with a 100 percent LC margin decision, but the banks do not want to open LCs and discourage us through continuously seeking different documents."
Also, the businessmen demanded amending the rule of mandatory driving licence while purchasing a motorcycle, harassment-free issuance of driving licence, specific HS code for an electric vehicle, registration for three-wheelers and sector-friendly policy support.
SWAP, Nagad bring up to Tk5,000 bonus offer
Mobile financial services provider Nagad and re-commerce brand SWAP have launched a new campaign – up to Tk5,000 bonus on sales proceeds.
Under the campaign "Nagad deal-e beshi laav" (a deal with Nagad guarantees higher profit), the customers will get up to a Tk5,000 bonus for receiving the proceeds of sales of old stuff to SWAP through the Nagad app.
The offer will remain valid till November 30, said a media statement Thursday.
As per the offer, the customers will be able to sell their old stuff such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and some other products.
The Nagad customers will also be able to benefit from the offer more than once.
Read: Nagad announces up to 22% cashback for electronics, restaurants, and lifestyle products purchase during WC
50,000 CVs submitted at Khulna BDjobs job fair
50,000 CVs were submitted in the day-long job fair held to recruit 1,000 employees in various organizations at BDJobs job fair held in Khulna on Thursday.
Around 20 thousand job aspirants gathered at the gymnasium hall adjacent to Khulna district stadium to participate in the job fair.
“More than 20,000 job-seeking boys and girls from Khulna and its surroundings have applied for jobs in tha fair”, said the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of BdJobs. K. M. Fahim Mashroor.
Fahim Mashroor said, leading companies of the country including including Akiz Group, Walton, Crown Cement, Bangladesh Edible Oil, Kazi Farms Group, Quazi Enterprises, Sushilan, CSS, Rupantor, Jagrata Jubo Sangha participated in the fair.
Twenty thousand job aspirants have applied for more than 50,000 jobs in 200 posts of these institutions, he said. The government's special program for building digital Bangladesh, A2I and BRAC Skill Development Program has given full support to this job fair, he added.
Prokash Roy Chowdhury, marketing director of the organization, said Bdjobs.com aim is to facilitate the employment of the educated unemployed youth in the remote areas of the country.
“By organizing fairs in different cities of the country like Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet, the employment system of the private remains somewhat balanced and the employer organizations find regionally qualified and skilled workers. The participation of women job seekers in the Khulna job fair was remarkable”, he added.
Tipu Munshi seeks more US investment
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Thursday urged the United States to invest more in Bangladesh while the country could import more from the South Asian nation.
Munshi said Bangladesh has a strong trade relation with the US and there is scope to expand the bilateral bonding to a greater extent.
Munshi made the remarks in a bilateral meeting with a US team led by Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director-general of the US Foreign Commercial Service, at the Pan-pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
He said that American investors could benefit enormously by investing at special economic zones Bangladesh is readying. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the authorities to set up 100 special economic zones across the country to woo foreign investment.
The commerce minister said Bangladesh is giving special incentives to the foreign investors.
“Bangladesh gives special importance to the US investment. Safety has been ensured for the investors. Bangladesh is emphasising on the skill development in digital commerce,” he said.
Read: Time to invest in Bangladesh, Tipu Munshi tells Nordic countries
While the US is a major market of Bangladeshi garment products the country can be a good destination of Bangladeshi furniture and pharmaceutical products, he said.
Bangladesh needs support from the US in other sectors such as agro-food processing, technology and ICT, the minister said.
Arun Venkataraman said Bangladesh is a vital trade partner of the US. He appreciated Bangladesh’s development, saying that the US will continue to strengthen its relations with the country in the fields of investment, trade and technology.
Bangladesh Bank asks banks to stop ACU transactions with Sri Lanka
Bangladesh Bank has instructed banks to refrain from transactions with Sri Lanka through the ACU system.
The central bank’s Foreign Exchange Policy Department issued a circular today and sent it to top executives of banks.
The ACU is an arrangement through which participating countries settle import payments for intra-regional transactions.
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are members of ACU, which has headquarters in Tehran. The central banks of the countries have to make payments every two months.
If any Bangladeshi bank wants to settle a transaction with a Sri Lankan commercial bank, they can do it by ignoring the ACU system.
US Trade Show 2022 begins in Dhaka
A trade show began on Thursday to showcase American products and services with 44 US companies joining the three-day event in the capital, Dhaka.
The show is aimed at boosting bilateral trade between the two countries. The participating companies set up 76 stalls.
Tipu Munshi, Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister, and Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for global Markets and Director-general of the US and Foreign Commercial Service, jointly inaugurated the three-day trade fair at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka.
The show is open from 10:00am to 8:00pm to visitors and entry fee is Tk 30 per person. Students in uniform or with identity cards will be allowed free.
The show is exhibiting more than 100 US products hoping to expand their market in Bangladesh in areas such as energy, banking, financial services, food, beverage, cosmetics and beauty products.
The American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) and the US Embassy in Dhaka organised the 28th edition of the show.
Talks for loan with IMF satisfactory, says central bank spokesman
Bangladesh Bank said on Thursday the first round of dialogue with a visiting delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for obtaining a loan of $4.5 billion from the global lending agency was satisfactory, an official said.
Bangladesh Bank’s spokesman Md. Abul Kalam Azad said that they were very optimistic about the progress made in the meeting on Thursday,
“Today’s meeting ended successfully,” he told UNB. “The first phase of talks was very satisfactory. Both sides cooperated each other and the IMF team now knows the scenario,” he said.
He said the IMF delegation wanted to understand the real scenario of Bangladesh’s foreign currency reserves and the condition of the macroeconomy in Thursday’s meeting.
Central bank’s Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, Deputy Governors Kazi Sayedur Rahman and Ahmed Jamal, Chief Economist Md Habiur Rahman led the Bangladesh Bank’s team to the meeting.
Also read: Not before January, officials say about IMF’s $4.5 bn loan to Bangladesh
Bangladesh Bank officials replied to queries by the IMF team with the latest information of the country’s macroeconomic situation, Azad said.
The IMF team also wanted clarification on reserves as the global lender had placed different suggestions for calculating the actual amount of forex reserves, said officials who have knowledge of the process.
In the meeting, the central bank’s officials said that the current reserve is around $35.80 billion. If the central bank follows the IMF standard for calculating reserves the amount stands at $27.80 billion.
The IMF team asked Bangladeshi officials to exclude $7-8 billion spent on the export development fund (EDF) and $200 million loaned to Sri Lanka.
While most of the world's foreign exchange reserves are calculated according to the IMF's Balance of Payments and International Investment Position manual Bangladesh calculates net and total foreign exchange reserves. Funds provided to various funds, including EDF are excluded from the net calculation. Bangladesh Bank publishes the gross or total account of reserves.
On Thursday, the discussion was divided into six sessions of which three sessions covered foreign exchange reserves.
Also read: IMF team in talks with Bangladesh Bank officials on $4.5 loan Thursday
Other issues that came up in the meeting were good governance in financial institutions, banking sector performance, exchange rate, cross-border inter-bank credit, export situation, import restrictions and FDI projection and long-term defaulted loan.
Currency depreciations risk intensifying global food, energy crisis: World Bank
The shrinking value of the currencies of most developing economies is driving up food and fuel prices in ways that could deepen the food and energy crises that many of them already face, the World Bank said in its latest report.
Released Thursday, the ‘Commodity Markets Outlook’ report says that the prices of most commodities have declined from their recent peaks amid concerns of an impending global recession.
From the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February this year through the end of last month, the price of Brent crude oil in U.S. dollars fell nearly six per cent.
“Yet, because of currency depreciations, almost 60 per cent of oil-importing emerging-market and developing economies saw an increase in domestic-currency oil prices during this period. Nearly 90 per cent of these economies also saw a larger increase in wheat prices in local-currency terms compared to the rise in US dollars,” reads the report.
“Although many commodity prices have retreated from their peaks, they are still high compared to their average level over the past five years,” said Pablo Saavedra, the World Bank’s Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions.
Read more:Unprecedented shocks exacerbating challenges, dampening growth in South Asia: World Bank
“A further spike in world food prices could prolong the challenges of food insecurity across developing countries. An array of policies is needed to foster supply, facilitate distribution, and support real incomes.”
Elevated prices of energy commodities that serve as inputs to agricultural production have been driving up food prices. During the first three quarters of 2022, food-price inflation in South Asia averaged more than 20 per cent.
Food price inflation in other regions, including Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, averaged between 12 and 15 per cent. East Asia and the Pacific has been the only region with low food-price inflation, partly because of broadly stable prices of rice, the region’s key staple.
Since the war in Ukraine, energy prices have been quite volatile but are now expected to decline. After surging by about 60 per cent this year, energy prices are projected to decline 11 per cent in next year. Despite this moderation, energy prices next year will still be 75 per cent above their average over the past five years, according to the report.
Besides, the price of Brent crude oil is expected to average $92 a barrel in 2023—well above the five-year average of $60 a barrel. Both natural gas and coal prices are projected to ease in 2023 from record highs in 2022, it added.
However, by 2024, Australian coal and the US natural-gas prices are still expected to be double their average over the past five years, while European natural gas prices could be nearly four times higher. Coal production is projected to significantly increase as several major exporters boost output, putting climate-change goals at risk.
Pablo Saavedra said the combination of elevated commodity prices and persistent currency depreciations translates into higher inflation in many countries.
Read more: Without reforms, Bangladesh’s GDP could fall below 4% by 2035: World Bank study
“A further spike in world food prices could prolong the challenges of food insecurity across developing countries. An array of policies is needed to foster supply, facilitate distribution, and support real incomes.”
Besides, agricultural prices are expected to decline 5 per cent next year. Wheat prices in the third quarter of 2022 fell nearly 20 per cent but remain 24 per cent higher than a year ago.
The decline in agricultural prices in 2023 reflects a better-than-projected global wheat crop, stable supplies in the rice market, and the resumption of grain exports from Ukraine.
“The forecast of a decline in agricultural prices is subject to an array of risks,” said John Baffes, senior economist in the World Bank’s Prospects Group.
A sharper slowdown in global growth also presents a key risk, especially for crude oil and metals prices. Metal prices are projected to decline 15 per cent in 2023, largely because of weaker global growth and concerns about a slowdown in China.
The report examines the drivers of aluminum and copper prices and explores implications for emerging market and developing economies that export these commodities.