The number of unemployed men increased in the first quarter of this year due to a lack of job opportunities, according to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) released today. 

The data from the survey, provided by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), showed that the number of jobless men rose by 2 percent year on year to 17.4 lakh in the January-March period of 2024, up from 17.10 lakh a year ago.

However, the number of unemployed women declined by 3 percent to 8.5 lakh at the end of March 2024, down from 8.8 lakh a year ago. 

This decrease led to a 2 percent reduction in the total number of unemployed people.

The BBS reported that the total workforce was 7.37 crore in the first quarter of 2024, a slight increase from 7.36 crore a year ago. This growth was primarily due to an increase in the male labour force.

Out of the total workforce, 7.11 crore were employed, showing a marginal increase from the same period a year ago. 

The QLFS data indicated that employment among men increased during the January-March period of this year, while employment among women decreased.