Bangladesh Lost 2.1 Million Jobs — Why Did Women Lose 86% of Them?

Bangladesh has an invisible crisis. In the first half of the financial year, 2.1 million jobs disappeared—women lost a whopping 86% of them. Official declarations of advance notwithstanding, hard facts tell a gloomier tale. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) reports that the female labour force participation increased to 42.68% in 2022.

However, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) puts actual participation at only 19%. Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, now Chief Adviser, is increasingly in the dock. His government has not been able to sustain women’s economic advances once fostered under Sheikh Hasina’s guidance.

Tale of Two Leaders: Hasina’s Gains, Yunus’s Decline

Sheikh Hasina encouraged female work in garments, microfinance, education, and safety nets. Rural businesspeople were assisted. Child marriage fell. However, under Yunus—who is internationally renowned for empowering women—NEET rates increased.

Foreign employment opportunities frittered away. His regime is now grappling with youth unemployment, financial instability, and lost faith in the banks.

Data Gap: What’s Real and What’s Not ?

BBS statistics report steady female employment. But CPD disputes this story. Its analysts contend figures encompass irregular or unpaid work by family members. BBS includes women laboring just one hour a week. This swells the numbers and conceals vulnerability.

CPD’s Towfiqul Islam Khan estimates the real unemployment rate for women at 9.7%, not the listed 3.6%. Among young women, it’s more than 22%.

Unpaid, Invisible, Undervalued

CPD identified 80.8% of employed women as having “vulnerable jobs” without security and low wages. Only 3% get pensions. Several work unpaid in family enterprises or as domestic laborers. The World Bank estimates that one-third of women workers are unpaid family assistants. The majority of their work is not recognized.

Women looking to work overseas encounter new barriers. Female migration per month fell from 8,789 in 2022 to 4,610 in 2025. Foreign migration workers tend to be exploited. Protections under the law are weak.

Gaps in Structures Are Still Wide

Bangladeshi women possess fewer assets and experience credit constraints. A mere 36% have bank accounts, as compared to men at 65%. Much of this is spent on male relatives. Financial dependence intensifies.

Increasing inflation and declining investment damage industries such as garments and domestic work—sectors that predominantly hire women. CPD discovered that two-thirds of young women no longer fit into significant economic roles.

Despite 44 ministries releasing gender budget reports, their quality continues to be weak. They don’t tackle underlying inequalities or provide implementation.

Illusion of Progress

Despite the rosy reports, actual progress for Bangladeshi women is still tenuous. Economic empowerment eludes them. Structural disadvantage denies them opportunity. Yunus, a female icon of empowerment, has yet to succeed where Hasina did.

Should the trend persist, Bangladesh threatens to reverse its success and retard its overall growth.