Productivity growth, stronger institutions and performance-based policy support are essential for creating sustainable jobs and improving Bangladesh's global competitiveness, speakers said at a panel discussion on Friday.
They stressed that enhancing organisational capability, attracting investment, strengthening industry-academia collaboration and pursuing balanced regional development will be critical for sustaining economic growth, particularly after Bangladesh graduates from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status.
The discussion, titled "Productivity, Competitiveness & Trade for Jobs," was held as part of the two-day Bengal Delta Conference 2026 organised by the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (DAIRA) at InterContinental Dhaka on the opening day.
The segment, moderated by DAIRA Research Director Mohammad Asaduzzaman, featured Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London Dr Mushtaq Khan, Panam Institute Chairman Jyoti Rahman and President of Bangladesh Apparel Youth Leaders Alliance Abrar Hossain Sayem as panellists.
Outlining the government's economic strategy, Dr Titumir said Bangladesh needs an investment-driven development model tailored to domestic realities and changing global geoeconomic conditions.
"We need to pursue a model where investment leads to production, production creates employment, employment increases revenue without raising tax rates, and that revenue finances education, health and social security," he said.
The adviser reiterated the government's goal of gradually increasing spending on education, healthcare and social protection while moving towards a democratic welfare state.
Prof Mushtaq Khan said productivity is determined not only by capital investment and skilled labour but also by organisational capability.
He noted that enterprises with similar resources often produce vastly different outcomes depending on the quality of management and institutional capacity.
Prof Mushtaq Khan also stressed that government incentives and policy support should be linked to measurable performance requirements to encourage improvements in productivity and competitiveness.
Jyoti Rahman said organisational effectiveness and management play a more decisive role in productivity growth than machinery or conventional factors of production alone.
He urged policymakers and business leaders to adopt an experimental approach by testing innovative ideas, learning from unsuccessful initiatives and expanding those that deliver positive results.
Sayem highlighted the challenges Bangladesh is likely to face after graduating from the LDC status, saying higher productivity, increased foreign investment and stronger backward linkages will be crucial to maintaining the competitiveness of the country's export industries.
He also underscored the importance of technology transfer, skills development and stronger partnerships between industry, technical and vocational institutions, and universities to build a future-ready workforce.
The speakers agreed that sustainable job creation and long-term economic growth will depend on higher productivity, stronger institutional capacity, closer collaboration between industry and academia, balanced regional development and performance-based policy support.