Investment with no return

The increase in the job application fees for government jobs will be taken as a justification for the further hike of application fees in the state-owned corporates and other entities, many of whom have already been charging some atrocious rates, said TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman.

"The decision fails to reflect the responsiveness of the authority to the already prevailing genuine and longstanding concerns of job seekers, aggravated by additional financial pressures they are currently in due to runaway cost of living," he told The Daily Star.

"The government does not also appear to realise that the overwhelming proportion of jobseekers, most of whom have to make multiple failed attempts to be recruited, and hence the fees they pay are investments with no return."

He added, "If the rationale behind the decision is streamlining the rates of public sector job applications, instead of arbitrary imposition, it should have been accompanied by transparent communication of specific principles drawn upon an in-depth analysis of implications for applicants and their families."