Unemployment rising in Pakistan
The number of unemployed people increased from 3.7 million to 8.5 million in last three years of PTI rule
PTI came
into power with promise of providing 2 million jobs every year in its tenure of
five years. It promised to create 10 million jobs for people of Pakistan. PTI
government has failed to fulfill its promise of jobs in first three years. More people are unemployed now than three
years ago. Instead of providing 06 million jobs in last three years as promised by the PTI government, it has made nearly 5 million (50 lakhs) people unemployed in last three years.
So, it is
disappointing to know that the country’s unemployment rate jumped from 5.8
percent in 2018 to 6.9 percent in 2019. That was the first year of the PTI
government in power. This has been revealed by the Labour Force Survey 2018-19
(LFS) published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). The survey reveals
that in absolute terms the number of jobless people jumped by nearly a million
people to over 4.7 million in 2019 from 3.7 million 2018.
The increase
in unemployment has been observed in both men and women with male unemployment
rising from 5.1 percent to 5.9 percent whereas female unemployment rate surging
from 8.3 % to10 %. That shows a disproportionate increase in
unemployment among women.
After three
years of PTI rule, the unemployment is at historic high as 8.5 million People
are unemployed in Pakistan at the moment. This level is the highest in the history
of the country.
The PTI
leaders made tall claims of ‘Naya Pakistan’ and ‘Tabdeeli’. None of the major
election promises and manifesto pledges so far been fulfilled by PTI
government.
For women in
rural areas the situation is even worse as female joblessness increased by nearly
three percent in rural areas. All this calls for immediate steps to create more
jobs and that the government can do by realising the gravity of the situation
in the labour market. The government must take the survey seriously and develop
a comprehensive job-creation strategy, rather than rely on spin doctors known
for false claims and tall promises.
Pakistan is
experiencing the phenomenon of unemployed educated people, particularly jobless
graduates. The unemployment rate among degree-holders is almost three times
higher than the other overall unemployed people. The reason given for this is a
mismatch between the education being imparted and the need of the economy to
sufficiently absorb fresh graduates.
Pakistan is
the sixth most populous country in the world with a population of 219 million. Given
the current rate of population growth, it is estimated to reach 280 million by 2030.
At present, 69% of the population is below the age of 30. Helping young people
develop the right skills for employment makes economic sense. A staggering
number of young people are not in education, employment or training at present.
The
expansion in the workforce is directly related to increasing population in the
country. If the trend continues, we may be adding around five million pairs of
hands to the workforce annually. That means the government must plan to provide
that many jobs if it intends to contain the rising tide of unemployment.
Job markets
in Pakistan remain volatile in the absence of a sound industrial base that is
competitive at the international level. The government needs to create new jobs
by facilitating businesses and industries.
Instead, it
has been encouraging real-estate business that is mostly based on speculations.
The business and industrial sectors in the country have been laying off their
employees in droves. Providing gainful employment is one of the primary
responsibilities of any modern state. When the unemployment rate increases by
just one percent, it means an increase of millions of jobless people in the
country.
Rukhsana Manzoor Deputy Editor
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