Dhaka: The country's total labour force reached approximately 71.71 million in 2024, with around 69.09 million individuals employed, while approximately 2.62 million remained unemployed, Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury reported to parliament today. The unemployment rate was recorded at 3.66 percent.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the minister presented these statistics in response to a prepared question from Advocate Md Jalal Uddin, a ruling party lawmaker from Kishoreganj-2, during a session in the Jatiya Sangsad. The figures were derived from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Labour Force Survey 2024, which highlighted that agriculture is the largest employment sector, engaging around 30.87 million people, or 44.67 percent of total employment.
The industrial sector employs 12 million people, making up 17.37 percent of total employment, while the services sector employs approximately 26.22 million people, accounting for 37.96 percent of the workforce. The minister also noted that urban areas had a labour force of 18.74 million in 2024, with 17.92 million employed, whereas rural areas had a labour force of about 51.17 million.
Furthermore, the minister revealed that around 50.04 million people were outside the labour force in 2024, comprising 12.03 million men and 38.01 million women.