DHAKA — Bangladeshi students braved bullets to overthrow an autocratic government, but six months after the revolution, many say finding a job is proving a harder task than manning the barricades.

Dhaka University student Mohammad Rizwan Chowdhury’s dreams of ample opportunities for youth have been badly dented, saying he had seen little action from the caretaker government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

“I can’t see any fruitful initiatives taken by the government so far,” Chowdhury grumbled, a 25-year-old student who took part in the protests that drove autocratic ex-leader Sheikh Hasina into exile on August 5.

Unemployment was a key driver of protests last year. Since the revolution, it has only grown worse.

At the end of September 2024, the number of people seeking employment in the country of 170 million hit 2.66 million, a six-per cent increase from 2.49 million the year before, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The International Monetary Fund warned in September that economic activity had “slowed markedly, while inflation remains at double-digit levels”, with tax revenues down while spending pressures had increased.

For many, the euphoria of Hasina’s ouster is fading.

Chowdhury said that while Yunus handed cabinet posts to student leaders, he felt demands were being ignored.

“Although our representatives are part of the administration, I’m not sure whether our voices are being heard,” the political science graduate said.