A new nationwide survey paints a concerning picture of Bangladesh's youth, highlighting significant challenges in employment, education, and political engagement in the aftermath of the July Movement.
The study, titled "Youth Survey 2025: Tracking Perceptions on Reforms, Skills, Jobs, and Education," was conducted by the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) in collaboration with ActionAid Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi youth believe the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will win the 13th national election. The survey revealed a shifting political landscape among the youth demographic, with survey participants saying Jamaat-e-Islami is likely to come second.
The National Citizen Party (NCP) is slated to come third, followed by Awami League, according to the surveys, that asked respondents how much of the vote percentage they believe each party would get.
The survey, which covered 2,003 households across all eight divisions of Bangladesh between May 20 and 31, 2025, reveals that young people are grappling with limited job prospects, high unemployment, and a perceived lack of quality education and training.
These issues, coupled with a significant lack of political representation, are hindering both personal growth and national development.
Govt rolls out strong policy package to boost investment, national savings
Key Findings on Employment and Education:
•High Unemployment and Disengagement: While 47.3 percent of youth reported being employed, a substantial 13.7 percent are actively seeking jobs but remain unemployed, and a notable 39 percent are neither seeking employment nor entrepreneurship.
•Education-Employment Mismatch: Only 14.54 percent of respondents felt their education significantly prepared them for employment, with 30.78 percent believing it played no role at all.
•Government Job Preference: Nearly 37 percent of respondents aspire to government jobs, followed by 26.41 percent inclined towards entrepreneurship.
•Challenging Job Search: Over 28 percent have been looking for a job for more than two years, and a staggering 45.12 percent of those who applied for at least one job in the past year never received an interview call. 7
•Barriers to Employment: Nepotism emerged as the biggest perceived obstacle (54.72 percent), followed by lack of formal education (52.67 percent), job scarcity (50.02 percent), and a mismatch between education and job market needs (49.38 percent).
•Gig Economy Awareness: Over 42 percent of youth are unfamiliar with freelancing or gig-based work. However, among those who are aware, flexibility and the opportunity to work from home (70.8 percent) and better pay (58.7 percent) are cited as attractive features.
•Migration Trends: While 1.7 percent of youth have returned from working abroad, 72.73 percent of them are keen to migrate again. Nearly 40 percent of those who have never been abroad expressed interest in overseas employment, primarily for better salaries, improved benefits, and a higher standard of living.
Bangladesh households reel under persistent inflation
Youth Perceptions of Politics and Reforms:
•Political Disinterest: A significant 37.54 percent of youth show no interest in the political situation, while only 23.37 percent actively follow it.
•Lack of Connection with Political Parties: Half of the youth population (50.1 percent) feel that political parties have failed to connect with them. Only 11.82 percent believe political party agendas reflect real national issues.
•Hope for Reform, Low Optimism for Unchanged Future: While only 3.3 percent believe the situation will improve significantly without reforms, 56.4 percent believe improvement is possible with reforms.
•Unwillingness to Join Politics: A vast majority, 82.7 percent are uninterested in joining politics in the future.
•Priorities for Reform: An overwhelming 94 percent believe reform should begin with the education system, followed by demands for improvements in health (92 percent), the labor market (90 percent), and human rights (89 percent).
•Unawareness of Reforms: Almost half (43.5 percent) of respondents is unaware of the proposed reforms that followed the July uprising.
The study emphasizes the need for policymakers to meaningfully consider the demands and aspirations of the youth population to address these critical issues.