Unemployment remains one of Pakistan’s most pressing challenges, with recent reports indicating that nearly one-third of the population is without stable employment. Addressing the root causes of this crisis is crucial to understanding its profound and lasting effects on society. A combination of factors — such as an inadequate education system, a burgeoning population, and socioeconomic instability — play a pivotal role in fueling the unemployment crisis, a veritable cyclone engulfing the nation.
This unemployment cyclone begins with a lack of awareness, particularly within middle-class segments, about the demographic imbalance. Many families, despite financial instability, continue to have multiple children, exacerbating the strain on household resources. The consequences are severe. Parents often find themselves unable to bear both educational and household expenses. As a result, children are forced into street begging or child labour, getting deprived of their fundamental right to education, which ultimately traps them in cycles of poverty, often becoming nothing more than ‘factory fodder’.
Further intensifying this crisis are socioeconomic issues such as inadequate investment in education, the absence of awareness programmes, and the provision of low-paying jobs that barely allow families to make ends meet, let alone provide their children with formal education. These systemic flaws perpetuate the very cycle of unemployment and poverty that keeps the country from moving forward.
To address this multifaceted problem, the government must tackle the root causes head-on. This includes establishing educational institutions that provide children with basic facilities and vocational training to help them secure sustainable income. Furthermore, the government should conduct extensive awareness campaigns to educate families on the benefits of family planning and contraceptive methods. Additionally, it is crucial for the government to create jobs that offer competitive salaries. By doing so, the administration can tackle unemployment and reduce both child labour and street begging, effectively addressing multiple issues with a single strategy.
While the unemployment crisis may seem like a natural disaster to some extent, proactive measures can mitigate its impact. Developing early warning systems, through policies and programmes that address these issues before they spiral out of control, will help protect people from the devastating effects of this unemployment cyclone.
Tahir Jamali
Nawabshah
