BCS: The new gold rush
Although this Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exam ‘hype’ is not new, there has been an exponential increase in interest in recent years
A 'government job' is the centrepiece of today's discourse.
Whether it is the 'shagar churi' or the sea of accumulated wealth through corruption by government officials, the question leak scandal, or the quota reform movement that has set the country alight once again after six years, everyone is invested in the talk of government jobs.
This brings us to the appeal of civil service jobs, which, at a slightly closer look, seems like a bewilderingly desperate mission-like conquest. People are paying lakhs to obtain a question paper, only to get a job that does not (at least officially) even pay the bare minimum to survive in an economy like ours.
So, one must ask: What are the push factors behind this desperation?
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When a layperson is asked, the answer seems to oscillate between two options: the appeal of massive 'cash out' through corruption and abuse of power, or the non-monetary benefits that come with the jobs, be it social prestige or job security or even better marriage proposals (yes, that is also a contributing factor here).
For instance, Aminur Rahman (not his real name) graduated from one of the top public universities in the country with a degree in economics. Later, he joined a renowned private bank as an assistant transaction officer. After three months, he left the job voluntarily.
He always had a desire for a government job and felt that his job's workload did not allow him to prepare for the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) exam.
Many individuals are attracted to government jobs as there are opportunities for additional earnings alongside the fixed income. This indicates a moral lapse from the very beginning.
"I don't like the rigid lifestyle in private sector jobs. Government jobs offer me greater flexibility, job security and social status. These aspects motivate me to join the civil service," he said.
However, Aminur is not alone. There have been numerous stories of people leaving lucrative jobs to join the civil service. In another instance, a few months ago, 57 first-class officers of the Bangladesh Bank left their jobs, and most of them joined the civil service.
We also hear stories of graduates from top-tier foreign universities, PhD candidates and faculties of private universities joining BCS. But, to reiterate, why is there such a frenzy in the first place?
BCS is a losing battle… for most candidates
If you ever go to the Dhaka University Central Library at 5am, you will see students lining up outside. They stand in line for hours, and the queue easily reaches Mall Chattar before the Library opens at 9am.
All of them are studying for the BCS.
Although this "hype" is not new, an exponential increase in interest in the exam is evident. For instance, in the 36th BCS in 2015, 211,282 eligible candidates applied, while the number doubled to reach 442,831 in the 43rd BCS in 2020.
However, against this massive number, available seats remain very limited. In the 43rd BCS, only 2,163 candidates were recommended for the posts — only 0.49% of the applicants.
But despite this intense competition, everyone is willing to give it a shot.
Now there is another ongoing protest, demanding the age limit of BCS application to be raised from 30 to 35. So, candidates are willing to spend five more years chasing the golden goose.
"If this is done, young people would be occupied with recruitment exams for an additional five years. Consequently, we would miss the opportunity to utilise the country's young population. This is an excellent time for the country to leverage its young population to advance its economy," said Professor Tariq Manzoor of the Department of Bangla at Dhaka University.
He further states that the demand for increasing the age limit to 35 has intensified due to the shrinking job market. However, job seekers need to consider that if this were implemented, they would have to compete with at least twice as many candidates in each exam.
What's behind the BCS 'craze'?
The salary increase from the revised pay-scale in 2015 made government jobs more attractive over the past decade. As a result, there has been a noticeable rise in the number of young people showing interest in the BCS exams.
After the pay-scale raise, during the 34th BCS, which published its circular in 2016, there were 102 candidates per seat. Just in the previous one, the 33rd BCS had only 23 candidates per seat. The competition was almost five times higher in 2016.
Generally, the intense interest is driven by factors like job security, social status and the instability of the private job sector. In a highly competitive society like ours, where a person's value is determined by his social status, BCS is a highly coveted job.
Also, having a government job makes a young man or woman more eligible to find better matches. Browsing through any matrimony group, it becomes evident that the ideal jobs for any potential groom are either BCS, being an expat or being a military officer. So, even the prospect of marriage hinges on a civil service job.
There was a time when BCS was an attraction mostly for the graduates coming from the faculty of arts-related backgrounds. However, recent trends show that engineers and doctors are switching their respective fields and joining general cadres.
More than 100 doctors and about 120 engineers were employed in the 38th BCS exam. The 39th special BCS exam was reserved for only doctors.
In the 40th BCS, 23 doctors and 173 engineers were employed. In the 41st BCS, 18 doctors and 195 engineers were employed. And in the 43rd BCS, 25 doctors and 183 engineers were employed. The 42nd special BCS, too, was reserved only for doctors.
In short, about 30% of those who have been recruited in the general cadre in at least the last three BCS examinations are graduates from medical colleges or engineering universities.
"There is nothing wrong if a doctor or engineer truly wants a BCS job to serve the nation. But the reason behind switching their field is often that a government job is more secure than their future with an engineering or MBBS degree," explained Shariful Hasan, an associate director of the BRAC Migration Programme and Youth platform.
"Also, they find more facilities in the general cadres than their own [i.e., health cadre and engineering jobs in other cadres]. That's where the problem is," he added.
Corruption opportunities at play?
Recently, we have seen multiple government officers getting exposed for accumulating vast amounts of wealth. Among them are former police chief Benazir Ahmed and former National Board of Revenue (NBR) official Matiur Rahman.
Furthermore, a few Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) officials were exposed to be involved in leaking BCS exam questions. Most of them have become millionaires. Even the driver of the then-PSC chairman became a multi-millionaire.
One can imagine the amount people are willing to pay only to get ahead of others in an unprincipled way. And also, one can imagine how much extra benefit can be gained from these jobs that people are willing to pay so much for leaked question papers.
These incidents convey a wrong message to the general public that one can become this rich with a government job. The national pay scale ranges from a monthly Tk8,250 for the lowest rank to a monthly Tk78,000 for the highest rank.
Even the maximum amount is not too much in today's inflation-hit economy.
"Many individuals are attracted to government jobs as there are opportunities for additional earnings alongside the fixed income. They can misuse their power to accumulate significant illegal wealth through misconduct and corruption," Dr Iftekharuzzaman, the executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said.
"This indicates a moral lapse from the very beginning. However, it is important to note that this does not apply to everyone," he added.
The hidden cost of BCS
The BCS craze has a huge hidden cost and Bangladesh is already paying for it.
Firstly, the high demand for government jobs has led to an illegal market for leaking exam papers, fueling corruption.
Secondly, the BCS exam structure is very prolonged. It took three years and 27 days to complete the 43rd BCS, according to the latest yearly report of BPSC. Again the maximum age limit to appear in the BCS exam is 30. Many individuals continue to try for BCS until they reach the age limit due to their blind desire for a government job.
However, these delays in joining the labour force contribute to the country's NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) rate.
Thirdly, the exam syllabus for BCS is mostly based on rote memorisation. BCS applicants tend to memorise as much as possible and primarily rely on this preparation method. This acts as a barrier towards the country's advancement in entrepreneurship and innovation since it takes away from an individual's intellectual prowess.
This is also why BCS aspirants see leaving the country as the next best alternative. Since they are not prepared for other jobs in the country (nor do they like it). This contributes further to brain drain.
Fourthly, the government spends from Tk3 lakh to Tk5 lakh for an engineering student and at least Tk10 lakh to Tk15 lakh on each government medical college student, BBC Bangla reported citing University Grants Commission (UGC) sources. When they switch fields, it is a huge loss for the government.
Finally, the private sector is experiencing a skill mismatch as fresh graduates lack in research, skill development and practical knowledge. In fact, many top managerial positions are occupied by foreigners.
For example, the knitwear industry still has to hire general managers from other countries to lead production and operations. This indicates that we are failing to prepare our youth for the leading roles in the private sector.
"For the sake of efficiency, the employer needs an output return on how much salary they pay to each employee. And most of the time it is better to hire a skilled executive instead of spending an equal sum for two weaker team members," said Md Fazlul Hoque, a former president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
Where the private sector falls short
The job sector needs a balance.
While government jobs are becoming more and more lucrative, the private sector is falling short of attracting talented individuals.
Entry-level private jobs in Bangladesh generally pay very little. Exceptions include banks with better-regulated pay structures, multinational companies seeking top talent and local companies that understand the importance of paying well. For most others, the entry-level salary is disappointing, with many students starting their careers earning only Tk15,000 a month.
"People are not entering the private sector, which is bad for our society. Thus the private sector will not grow, and the economy will not advance," said AKM Fahim Mashroor, CEO and co-founder of Bdjobs.com.
It is a common and long-standing complaint that private jobs are not secure, how would you address this? "Jobs in the private sector depend on the state of the economy. Unlike the government, a company cannot simply raise taxes to increase salaries," replied Fahim.
Taking all these issues under consideration and a comprehensive look at the desperate chase behind BCS, it perhaps becomes clear why and how an overhaul of the job market, BCS structure and policies is the need of the hour.
