Government asks employment promoters to shift focus from Gulf

Ministry suggests sending manpower to Africa, Americas and eastern Europe.


Our Correspondent November 10, 2012

KARACHI:


Federal Ministry of Human Resource Development Secretary Muhammad Ahsan Raja has urged overseas employment promoters (OEPs) to shift their focus from traditional export markets for Pakistani manpower, such as the Gulf countries, to unconventional labour markets like Africa, Americas and former Soviet states in eastern Europe.


Addressing a group of about two dozen OEPs on Saturday at the Karachi office of the Protectorate of Emigrants – which is the regulator of all manpower-exporting firms located in Sindh – Raja said OEPs must become proactive to receive a higher number of recruitment orders if they wanted to expand beyond the traditional labour markets of the Middle East.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Bureau of Emigration Assistant Director Farrukh Jamal said more than 80% of the manpower that Pakistan exported in recent years was meant for Saudi Arabia. “We have about seven million Pakistanis working abroad. Almost 90% of recent emigrants from Pakistan currently work in the Middle East,” he said, adding between 35% and 45% of them could be categorised as unskilled labour.

According to data maintained by the Bureau of Emigration, 233 active OEPs helped 49,885 people move abroad for work in 2011, which was up by 26.3% compared to 2010.

“Japan and Vietnam want English language teachers. So do many other countries. We should also try to tap that market, as Pakistan has lots of English-speaking young men and women,” Raja said.

He said his ministry was in the process of setting up offices in Larkana, Hyderabad, Turbat, Sibi and many other cities in backward areas. He also described in detail his initiative of publishing pocket guides to help new emigrants adjust in foreign countries.

One OEP representative told the secretary that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) offloaded his clients from a plane at the Karachi airport minutes before they were to fly to Libya. “Each of them had valid passports and visas. They fulfilled every legal requirement. The FIA didn’t give us any reasons,” he said.

Taking part in the discussion, the Bureau of Emigration director said the FIA sometimes acted like a regulator, although its mandate was restricted to investigation. “FIA officials should realise that there is only one regulator of OEPs, which is the Bureau of Emigration,” Khaskheli said.

Raja said he would take up the issue with the FIA and make sure that the people responsible for offloading passengers without a reason were held accountable.

Pakistan received remittances of $3.69 billion in July-September, which was 9.1% higher than the corresponding period of last year, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. The largest chunk of remittances that Pakistan received in this period was from Saudi Arabia – $961 million or 26.7% of the total remittances received in the three-month period.

Pakistani expatriates in the United Arab Emirates had the second largest share in remittances over the same period with $753 million in contributions. They were closely followed by expatriates in the United States ($623.7 million) and the United Kingdom ($500.1 million).

Published in The Express Tribune, November 11th, 2012.

COMMENTS (3)

Cool Dude | 11 years ago | Reply Govt. of Pakistan must consider all the factors involved here. Like the conduct of those expats in foreign countries and there tenure of stay must be within allowed time limits. Plus it must provide professional training to about half of the people, to make them skilled labor. More importantly, it must keep an eye on the brain-drain, through which many able and competent young professionals are leaving, rather than contributing in the progress of Pakistan.
Cool Dude | 11 years ago | Reply

Govt. of Pakistan must consider all the factors involved here. Like the conduct of those expats in foreign countries and there tenure of stay must be within allowed time limits. Plus it must provide professional training to about half of the people, to make them skilled labor. More importantly, it must keep an eye on the brain-drain, through which many able and competent young professionals are leaving, rather than contributing in the progress of Pakistan.

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