The Nexus between Demographic Dividend and COVID-19 in Bangladesh
A Disappearing Opportunity
Abstract
In common parlance demographic dividend means the economic growth caused by changes in the age structure of population of a country. Bangladesh entered the phase of demographic dividend in early 2007, considering the average timeline of this important phase which is 20-30 years; Bangladesh is currently passing the midway point of it. Amid this situation, sudden initiatives such as lockdown, closure of educational institutions, changes in the recruitment process, delayed employee selection process and declining trend of job posting caused by COVID-19 has created serious tension among the potential employee sector. The objective of this study is to find out the adverse impact of COVID-19 on demographic dividend, especially on the potential employee sector consists of tertiary level final year students, fresh graduates and job seekers. In doing so primary source of data is used; the data was collected using qualitative method followed by a semi-structured questionnaire. This is a cross-sectional study, for the data collection, non-probability convenience along with self-selection sampling technique is used due limited mobility induced by COVID-19 lockdown. After collecting, the data are analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The findings of this study revealed the adverse impact of COVID-19 on demographic dividend is taking place through potential employee sector.
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