A young trade union leader stood up and, after a brief pause, she shared a powerful reflection: “We are often invited to participate, but not to decide. I am told I don’t have enough experience. But how will I gain experience if I am never given the opportunity?”
Her words highlight a common systemic challenge in Bangladesh: the youth are sometimes granted participation but denied influence. Across workplaces, civic organisations, and notably trade unions, young people contribute actively, yet opportunities to participate in leadership and decision-making mostly remain concentrated among senior leaders.
This is not about replacing experience with youth, but about combining that experience with a fresh perspective. Every strong labour movement has been built on continuity between generations. The challenge is not simply creating space for young people; it is obtaining influence, responsibility, and trust. Essentially, young leaders are not asking to replace senior leaders; they are asking to learn from them, contribute alongside them, and help build the labour movement of tomorrow.
Bangladesh boasts one of the world’s youngest populations, with nearly a third aged 15 to 35 years. Every year, hundreds of thousands enter a labour market rapidly transforming through digitalisation, climate change, and gig work. This reflects a broader global reality. According to the International Labour Organization’s new Global Employment Trends for Youth Report 2026, the current challenge is not simply creating employment for young people, but ensuring that labour market transitions lead to secure, productive, and decent work.
Young people must be part of policy discussions and trade union leadership at a time when fresh perspectives are needed most. If the collective voice of workers does not reflect the aspirations of younger generations, it risks becoming disconnected from the realities of today’s labour market. Trade unions therefore have a critical opportunity to reimagine youth engagement.
Young workers offer invaluable insights into digital organising, platform work, and emerging frontiers like climate resilience and the care economy. To unlock their potential, coordinated action is essential: unions must forge clear pathways to decision-making and mentorship, governments must embed youth in social dialogue, and development partners—including the ILO—must continue fostering spaces for meaningful cross-generational collaboration.
So how can the labour movement better engage the next generation of workers?
To survive a rapidly changing labour market, trade unions—the essential institutions for collective bargaining and social dialogue—must evolve. A recent ILO consultation showed that young leaders are ready to answer this call. At the factory level, we’ve seen young people at the forefront of the movement: establishing unions, resolving disputes, and defending workers’ rights. They are proving their readiness to lead.
However, opportunities to participate in national leadership, collective bargaining, and policy dialogue are limited. Many union members feel that age and experience, rather than ability and dynamism, often determine who is heard. Young women described additional barriers, including social expectations, unpaid care responsibilities, and fewer opportunities to develop as leaders.
Importantly, we have found young leaders emphasising that they seek not only greater representation but also better preparation. They want stronger knowledge of the Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Act, 2026, industrial relations, collective bargaining, occupational safety and health, digital transformation, climate change, and the future of work. They are seeking mentorship from senior leaders, greater exposure to negotiations and policy discussions and, above all, the opportunity to contribute meaningfully.
Young people also have unique responsibilities. Leadership is built through commitment, continuous learning, dialogue, and service. The young leaders we met recognised this themselves. They spoke about the importance of strengthening their knowledge, remaining connected to workers, respecting institutional experience, and preparing themselves for greater responsibilities.
Bangladesh’s continued economic transformation requires institutions which reflect its increasingly diverse workforce. We are already seeing younger people taking on vital leadership roles in government and across industries. We need to see the exact same change in the trade union movement. Investing in young leadership is not simply about the future of unions. It concerns the future of Bangladesh’s workplaces, businesses, and economy.
This International Youth Day, the task is to move beyond celebrating young people and towards trusting them with real responsibility. The future of work will be built by today’s young workers; they deserve the opportunity to help lead it.
Max Tuñón is country director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Bangladesh.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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