Job Market for STEM Graduates Expected to Increase by 8%

Between January 2023 and March 2024, 128 new readymade garment (RMG) factories joined BGMEA, potentially creating 74,000 jobs if fully operational. In the same 15-month period, 113 member factories shut down, displacing 96,104 workers—76,504 of them after August 2023 alone.

Women’s participation in STEM fields in Bangladesh stands at only 21%, significantly lower than India (43%), Sri Lanka (41%), and Indonesia (37%), despite women constituting 42% of the overall workforce. Experts stress the need for policy reforms, stronger academia-industry collaboration, and inclusive business models to boost women’s STEM involvement.

Bangladesh's private sector faces a deepening crisis as credit growth drops to a four-year low of 7%, and capital machinery imports fell by 34% in FY25. With 95% of the workforce employed in the private sector, businesses are halting expansion plans, exacerbating youth unemployment, especially among tertiary-educated individuals, whose unemployment rate rose from 9.7% in 2013 to 27.8% in 2022.

Bangladesh may lose 4.8% of working hours by 2030 due to heat stress, while 17% of its land could be submerged by 2050, displacing 20 million people, according to a study by FSG. The garments and construction sectors, contributing 34% of GDP and employing 12 million people, generate 15% of national emissions, projected to rise 5% by 2030.

BRAC Bank has partnered with North South University (NSU) to offer advanced cash management solutions, as per a press release. Under this partnership, BRAC Bank will implement a universal collection platform to streamline tuition fee collection for NSU. The system will provide real-time transaction updates, enhancing transparency, accuracy, and immediate reconciliation.

The Bangladeshi government is set to increase the education sector's budget in the 2025-26 fiscal year to improve educational quality and meet international standards. Planning and Education Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud emphasized prioritizing educational tools, scientific equipment, and research materials. The government aims for a significant proportional increase in funding, beyond just infrastructure.