Job opportunities overseas

There is growing suspicion among expatriates that Pakistani authorities haven’t promoted their labour force enough

Some decent employment opportunities have opened up for Pakistani workers in the Gulf state of Qatar over the past three months but unfortunately our compatriots have not been able to capitalise on that as much as they ought to from this development. Ever since authorities in Doha began issuing visit and transit visas to Pakistani nationals along with the nationals of some other countries there was the expectation that a softer visa policy would lead to the easing of the work and employment visa for Pakistanis as a whole. The same, however, has not happened, despite the current blockade of the Gulf state by some of its neighbours which has left Qatar more or less isolated. Visa restrictions remain in place for many categories of Pakistani workers though there are no actual visa requirements for certain professions such as cooks. This may be a boon for Pakistani restaurants but it is hardly expected to improve the overall number of Pakistani expatriates in Qatar. There are currently 100,000 Pakistani workers in the Gulf state and comparatively lower than other South Asians living and working there. Sadly not all of them are unskilled. The state’s labour market employs 700,000 Indian workers and 400,000 Nepalese, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshis — a vast difference in the number of expatriates when compared to Pakistanis.

There is a growing suspicion among expatriate circles that Pakistani authorities haven’t done their bit to promote their labour force in the Gulf emirate. In July 2015, Doha and Islamabad signed an agreement under which 200,000 Pakistani workers were to be hired ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, little has been heard about the accord and its implementation since then.

In the meantime, the government of Pakistan should campaign harder for its nationals to fill up the jobs made available following the Gulf crisis. Skilled workers in the field of medicine, education and engineering are needed. Proper vocational and professional training and certification would help enormously.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 14^th, 2017.

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