Across Asia and the Pacific, youth unemployment soared during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in tourism and hospitality, where many young people are employed. In South Asia, many youths were laid off or could not get decent jobs after graduation. For instance, the youth unemployment rate (15–24 years) in Bhutan nearly doubled from 11.9% in 2019 to 20.9% in 2021. Youth unemployment in the total labor force aged 15-24 years in South Asia increased from 19.5% in 2019 to 24.1% in 2021.

Bangladesh weathered the economic impact of the pandemic relatively well, but even there adverse impact on jobs is unavoidable.

Responding to such decline calls for quicker reaction and greater flexibility in jobs markets, and thus speedier access to data that can indicate what is going on to better direct policy. Online jobs portals could be one source of useful guidance. In the wake of the COVID-19 disruptions, many countries ramped up labor supply side efforts through training programs for skilling, reskilling, and upskilling. - blog.adb.org/blogs

A version of this article appears in the print on July 27, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.