Why raising the age threshold for govt jobs will spell trouble

The issue of the maximum age limit for entry into government service has resurfaced in the national discourse, with Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury recently forwarding a letter to the Ministry of Public Administration. In the letter, he proposed to raise the age threshold to 35 years, with another two years allowed for quota positions. 

Currently, the age limit for entry into government service is 30 (32 under various quotas including freedom fighters, etc).

The Education Minister mentioned in his correspondence that students have been protesting on the streets for a long time demanding that the maximum age limit for job applications be set at 35 years, aligning with "international standards."

In 2018, the Awami League election manifesto also recognised this issue and pledged that the government would implement practical and justified measures to raise the age limit for entry into government positions, considering merit and skills.

However, given the current socio-economic reality in the country, with the high rate of unemployed graduates (nearly 800,000 university graduates, or 12% by the end of 2022, according to BBS) and the youth's predominant pursuit of government jobs, which results in a deficit of practical skills and productivity among them – the proposal to raise the maximum age for entering government service seems untenable.

What is now more crucial is to prioritise equipping the younger generation with practical skills and fostering a culture of financial independence from an early age so that the country can take full advantage of the demographic dividend. The backlogs of government job recruits also need to be addressed to make the lives of job seekers a little less uncertain. 

But before delving into these issues, let's dismantle the rationale in support of the demand to increase the age ceiling. 

Supporters of this demand often cite the examples of other countries, as the age limit for applying for government jobs in 162 countries is 35 years while it remains open in some other countries.

Even our neighbouring country, India, has varying age limits for government jobs, typically ranging from 32 to 42 years, depending on the state and job type. However, for administrative government positions, the minimum age is typically 21 years and the maximum age is 32 years.

Nepal set a maximum age limit of 35 years for gazetted posts, with provisions allowing applications for Deputy Secretary and Joint Secretary positions up to a maximum of 45 years for vacant posts. Similarly, Sri Lanka raised its age limit for government job applications from 35 years to 45 years in 2020.

According to the protesters demanding an age-limit hike, our country should also adopt similar measures, further considering the increasing average life expectancy. 

In 1991, when the age limit for entering government jobs was increased from 27 years to 30 years, Bangladesh's average life expectancy was 59 years. Now it has risen to 72.4 years. 

However, it is important to note that just because many other countries, including some neighbouring ones, have a higher age limit, it does not necessarily mean we should blindly follow suit, even if there is an increase in life expectancy.

This is especially pertinent considering that our country still has a youthful population with an average age of 27 years. These individuals could significantly contribute to the nation's progress through their efficiency and productivity, particularly if they are not solely engaged in preparing for government jobs.

Dr Md Aminul Haque, Professor of Population Sciences at Dhaka University, regards this age as the "golden hour" of an individual's life. 

It is a crucial period for personal development and decision-making, during which individuals may experience significant growth, make crucial life choices and establish foundational aspects of their future.

Living a productive lifestyle during this period of life can also positively impact the demographic dividend. It can increase overall productivity, lifetime earnings and long-term economic stability, as well as enhance skill development and reduce the dependency ratio.

On the flip side, if a young individual, who finished their education several years ago, remains devoid of a clear vision or purpose well into their late 20s, it would mean a total waste of their talent and skills. 

This is often the case with the youth of our country. 

Instead of committing to a specific life plan, many continue to cling to the hope of eventually securing a government job. Some even decrease their age by one or two years in their NIDs to gain some extra years in their arsenal.

But the harsh reality is that for the majority of our youth, the dream of securing a government job remains elusive. This is due to the annual influx of approximately 20-22 lakh youths into the labour market, while the number of government job openings across all grades amounts to only approximately 32-38,000.

So, it is unrealistic to expect every recent graduate to secure a government job. Instead, the majority will face disappointment. 

Increasing the age limit for applications by five years will only worsen this situation. It will rob them of another five years that could have been spent developing careers in other fields.

In the context of our country, where securing a decent private job is also challenging, individuals over the age of 35 may find themselves directionless. They might even struggle to find satisfying employment for an extended period because their focus has been solely on memorising facts for job exams, neglecting the nurturing of other skills.

"This will inevitably lead to a rise in unemployment in the country," stated Dr Tariq Monzur, Professor of Bangla at Dhaka University, who was also part of the committee that introduced the new school curriculum and textbooks. 

He further proposed replacing general knowledge questions in job examinations with more analytical ones.

AKM Fahim Masroor, the CEO and co-founder of Bdjobs, expressed his belief that rather than increasing the maximum age limit to 35 years, it should be decreased to 27 or 28 years. "Three to four years after graduation should be enough for students to pursue government jobs," he argued. 

Still, if the age limit is raised, it is important to recognise work experience in other fields. Shahida Pervin, Assistant Professor of Economics at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, proposed the idea of implementing multi-stage age limits. For instance, maintaining the age restriction at 30 but allowing entry at later ages based on additional experiences.

In reality, however, the lack of skills among Bangladeshi youth is quite alarming. 

Despite one in four unemployed individuals in Bangladesh having a higher education, the country sends significant amounts of money abroad through foreign workers. Clearly, unemployment is not only a result of a shortage of jobs but also of insufficient skills.

It is imperative to transform educated youth into a skilled labour force through various means. 

For example, approximately 12,000 students graduate each year in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) or Information Technology (IT). However, the country's IT industry only employs 5,000 individuals annually. This indicates that there is more than double the supply of graduates in these fields compared to the demand. Paradoxically, despite this surplus, concerned institutions struggle to fill positions as many job seekers lack practical skills such as basic coding.

Such issues are directly linked to Bangladeshi youth's "obsession with government jobs at the expense of acquiring expertise in their own field," according to Masroor. To cultivate a skilled labour force, it's essential to redirect the youth's focus only from securing government positions to developing skills that are valuable across all industries.

The backlog in government jobs should also be addressed. According to the Ministry of Public Administration, there are currently over 504,000 vacancies in government positions in the country, up from 314,000 in 2020 — an increase of nearly 60% in four years. Regular recruitment tests could help gradually decrease these vacancies.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) took four years and four months, from November 2019 to March 2024, to complete the 41st BCS exams, which were the last fully completed, general BCS exams thus far.

This implies that even if someone applied for the exams when they were about to turn 30 and successfully cleared all the stages, they would have to wait until they were over 34 to have their appointment published in the gazette.

Now, consider a scenario where this backlog cycle continues and the maximum age limit is raised to 35 years. Essentially, there could be individuals approaching 40 years old who are still waiting to finally enter government service.

Perhaps the saying "life begins at 40" holds some truth but in a situation like this, it would be nothing short of a nightmare.