Labour productivity in Bangladesh was $8.7 per hour in 2025, below Vietnam’s $12.4 and India’s $10.7, General Economics Division of Planning Commission data cited in Bangladesh State of Economy 2025 report showed.
Informal work accounts for 84% of jobs and youth unemployment is 8%, report said, warning low productivity threatens export industries such as ready-made garments.
National Skills Development Authority, or NSDA, said it is building a national “skills ecosystem,” with more than 300 competency standards and programs delivered by more than 1,400 public and private training providers.
“There was never a strong skills ecosystem where training centres, trainers, modern machines and assessment systems worked together. Now the NSDA is building exactly that,” said Syed Azharul Haque, a competency standard expert at NSDA.