Dhaka - Bangladesh plans to slash public sector jobs by 10 per cent in response to the global recession, newspaper reports said Thursday.

The move is part of a package of austerity measures drawn up by the Awami League-led alliance government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed against the backdrop of an international downturn that has begun affecting the local economy, the Bengali-language Samakal newspaper reported, quoting a government order.

The government cuts target the jobs of more than 1.2 million officials and employees, the Ministry of Finance order said.

It asked authorities to outsource low-end jobs like cleaning, night security and gardening for an unspecified interim period.

The Finance Ministry also asked ministries and Bangladeshi missions abroad to impose a ban on the use of vehicles with larger engines, reduce entertainment bills and avoid non-urgent foreign trips.

"The funds to be saved through the austerity measures should be diverted for increasing overall social security networks, poverty-reduction programmes and plans for more employment generation in future," the order said.