Unheard voice of the job seekers

There is no denying that unemployment is now one of the major problems in the country. The number of such people who are spending their days with the curse of unemployment even after finishing their studies is colossal. A recent survey says that 66% of students who have completed Honors and MastersDegree from the colleges under National University are unemployed.

Today the desire of every student is to push away unemployment through employment. In the present context, the majority of government jobs are preferred by our students. Job security, high salary and social status lead the students to search for government jobs. And to this end usually 2 lakh to 12 lakh candidates apply for the positions of government circulated employment notices including BCS.

With the exception of BCS or primary teacher recruitment test, almost all government job recruitment tests have been Dhaka-centric for a long time. Government and nongovernment schools and colleges in the capital Dhaka are being used as recruitment test centres. Since classes are conducted in these schools and colleges on all days of the week except Fridays, employers prefer this very Friday for job recruitment texts.
But it is a matter of grief that recruitment tests are being arranged on the same day and at the same time on weekends. From the experience of last few Fridays, it is seen that at least 10-17 recruitment tests of different government institutions or departments are being held on Friday morning or afternoon at the same time.
As a result, a candidate applying for more than one post is being deprived of participating in other recruitment examinations as the recruitment examinations of different institutions are held at the same time. An educated unemployed candidate pays Tk. 200-700 as application fee for each of the exams in the hope of having a job.

In many cases, the employers are seen conducting multiple examinations on the same day and at the same time for which no candidate is able to participate in the recruitment examinations other than one, even if he wants. If the employers fail to get an educated unemployed youth who has spent so much money to take part in the recruitment tests, then the employers cannot avoid liabilities for this failure.

 Millions of educated unemployed are running from door to door for their long desired jobs. Their only hope is to get government jobs to alleviate their want and grief from the families. So, many of them manage application fee for the participation in government recruitment exams by doing tuition or performing temporary part time jobs with ill-paid salaries. Due to meticulous competition, most of the candidates fail to survive in job market.  

Thousands of candidates from all districts of the country rush to Dhaka on Friday to take part in the recruitment test. Although it is possible for male candidates to come to Dhaka from remote areas of the country as they are adults, it is very difficult for the female to do so. Many families are reluctant to leave their daughters for Dhaka without guardians.

As a result, in the case of a female candidate, the cost of an additional one has to be calculated. And if she is from a distant district and not from a district around Dhaka, then she has to reach Dhaka the day before exam with her guardian. In Dhaka, staying at a relative's house or in a good quality hotel becomes inconvenient for many.

For this reason, many female candidates in rural areas refrain from applying thinking that the examination will be held only in Dhaka. It is true that in the last one and a half years, many families have lost their only breadwinner due to Covid-19. Many have retired from their jobs by this time. The number of people who have lost their jobs in private companies or have been forced to take lower salaries is not less. So the main goal now is to get government jobs for the educated unemployed as recruitment exams are being held in full swing.

It is also true that almost all the recruitment tests or recruitment process remained postponed and now the employers have started recruiting manpower within short time. That is why they have become busy with the arrangement of recruitment tests in their convenient time. But I think coordination is needed soon to solve this problem.

Due to lack of coordination, an employer is unaware of when another organization is conducting a recruitment test. There needs to find a way so that no candidate is deprived of participation in the examination. For this purpose a recruitment related regulatory body can be formed under any ministry of the government.

Any government department or institution can make adjustments to this recruiting or coordinating body regarding the date of holding the recruitment test. The coordinating body can, on the basis of the importance of recruitment of manpower or any other criteria, consult or recommend to each institution to conduct examinations on only Fridays in the morning or afternoon.

In this case, apart from Friday, recruitment test can also be organized on Saturdays. Notably, now a day some institutions are also conducting recruitment tests on Saturdays. It would not be appropriate, however, to conduct the examinations on any day other than Fridays or Saturdays due to the fact that the guardians of the female candidates remain busy rest of the days of the week.

Recruitment examinations can also be conducted in cluster system by adjusting the grades or ranks of employment in different ministries or departments. In this case, only one test can be taken for different appointments of more than one department according to the grade or rank of the same level.
If a panel is formed on the basis of merit through the said examination and if arrangements are made for appointment in phases according to the hierarchy, the need for conducting frequent recruitment examinations will be reduced.

However, it would be best and most effective if all the examinations could be decentralized at least in divisional level. Over the past several years, the candidates have been relieved to be centered them in divisional cities for BCS and NTRCA exams.

On one hand, it reduces the sufferings of the candidates and saves travelling costs on the other. We hope that the above measures will be taken into account to alleviate the travail of large number of unemployed youths who will lead the nation with their devotion in the service.
The writer is assistant professor and chairman,Department of English, Ishakha International University