| The study examined various possible ways to affect the growth rate, their probable costs, and their probable contribution to growth in Bangladesh. Some particular elements of growth, such as the size of the labor force, the length of the workweek, the quantity of capital, or the increase in education was considered. The data on labor input suggest that the labor force is growing relative to the total population of Bangladesh. Both adult male and female labor force participation has increased between 1984 and 1989, with more dramatic changes in the employment of female labor. The data suggest that the Bangladesh employed labor force is beginning to shift away from an agriculture base toward a greater mix of agriculture, manufacturing, financial, transportation, and commercial enterprise. The quality of the labor force is also improving, as illiterate unskilled workers are being replaced by literate skilled workers. Bangladesh is educating more of its youth for longer periods of time. Enrollment in primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education has been increasing exponentially, especially among females. Male enrollment statistics are much more stable than female enrollment. The data suggest, however, that the expansion of education may be occurring faster than the ability of the labor force to absorb more highly skilled workers, creating downward pressures on the wages of skilled labor relative to unskilled labor, although overall unemployment rates are very low, and nonmanual labor is rewarded at much higher rates than manual labor. Growth in clerical work and in the professions has added positively to the GDP. Increases in education were strongly related to increases in capital stock (national savings) and GDP. The data suggested that improvement in the quality of labor force in Bangladesh was closely associated with economic advances. Improvements equality of the labor force have been shown to be strongly related to the growth of the GDP. In addition, expanding education has also been related to GDP gains. |
