But Yunus, an 84-year-old microfinance pioneer, is also swept up in what he calls the “extremely tough” challenge of restoring democratic institutions ahead of elections slated for this year or early 2026.

Those reforms include an overhaul of the constitution and the public administration to prevent a return to autocracy.

“The interim government is preoccupied with managing the mess they inherited,” said Hussain, adding there were only “sporadic attempts” to support the youth, such as hiring students to assist traffic police.

“The administration isn’t functioning at full speed,” he said. “I’d rate them 50 out of 100.”

Challenges are daunting.

“The public sector can recruit no more than 20,000 to 25,000 graduates, while around 700,000 graduates leave colleges each year,” said AKM Fahim Mashroor, chief of popular online job site Bdjobs.

The private sector provides around 85 percent of jobs, but there is little optimism there either.

“Both the public and private sectors have been slow in recruiting since August 5,” he added.

And the unrest has spooked investors.

Bangladesh’s central bank says foreign investment between July and November 2024 was $177 million — less than a third of the $614 million secured under Hasina’s iron-fisted rule during the same period the previous year.

Taskeen Ahmed, president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the government should roll out programmes to support young job-seekers including “loan schemes for youth to start businesses”.

Some like Subir Roy, a 31-year-old finance graduate who was nominated to a government job only for it to be rescinded without reason, said it was already too late for him.

“My father sold a small piece of land to send me to university… now I’m returning home empty-handed,” Roy said.

“I’ll join my father in the paddy field.”

© 2025 AFP