Leaders need to create more jobs

Huge growth is expected by 2035 in terms of the number of young people entering the job market. As per the National Human Development Report (NHDR) by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 3.5 million people are unemployed and this figure will add approximately 1.4 million people per year over just the next five years. The NHDR avers that Pakistan will need to produce 1.3 million jobs annually to support the growth in numbers of people entering the job market. There is a lot of work to be done, and although development vis-à-vis CPEC and others is occurring at a rate faster than ever before, it is pertinent for private and public sectors to review employment opportunities in the planning of any project and introduce the highest number of jobs possible.

Currently, the workforce can continue to function undisturbed by adding 0.9 million jobs annually, according to the UNDP report. However, considering that the largest demographic of the population is young adults, job growth needs to be accelerated. The service industry should be supported as a slight shift from a high-majority goods-based industry seems imminent. Social norms have changed and albeit slow, the dynamic in Pakistani households is also changing with more women working. Thus, beyond the population growth rates and demographics considered in computing these statistics, more women are opting to seek employment whether in retail, entrepreneurship or white-collar labour.

While more jobs are being created and the report’s survey confidently touts rapid job growth in Pakistan, it would be fitting to simultaneously revise labour policies. This should include a review of working conditions, especially for women, to reduce sexual harassment and employ appropriate grievance procedures with stricter laws followed. Furthermore, wages and salaries continue to be low and render households unsustainable. With a growth in jobs, there should be an increment in salaries and wages such that those in the job market do not need to consider side jobs or businesses to be able to support their families on a monthly basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2018.

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