Desperate to leave
Almost half a million Pakistanis left the country in pursuit of economic opportunities abroad in just the first quarter of 2023, reflecting most a lack of faith in the economy. And while the demographic makeup of emigrants was always diverse — from unskilled labourers seeking dangerous construction jobs to professionals seeking higher pay for white collar jobs — it seems even more skilled workers are opting out, even those in ‘safe’ and growing industries, as their salaries just can’t keep up with inflation.
There also appears to have been an increase in illegal migration. Although this data is hard to come by, we can only extrapolate estimates from other countries’ deportation records and the death and injury records from illegal migrant crossing attempts from Africa and Turkey into Europe. Migrants — legal and illegal — are also leaving at younger ages, as student visa and foreign scholarship applications have both seen large upticks. Most of these are legal, but Western media regularly features reports about skilled workers abusing student visas to illegally pursue employment and migration opportunities. Although the vast majority of such people are Indians, Pakistanis also merit regular mentions in reports about larger migrant rings.
The incumbent government may try to put a positive spin on this by praising the achievements of Pakistanis abroad and crediting remittances for stabilising the economy, but it is actually an embarrassment that so many competent Pakistanis must leave the country to realise their full potential. Even worse, there is no incentive for them to return as investors, because the workforce they would need in Pakistan is all attempting to go abroad. Meanwhile, no large country in the world has ever developed on the back of remittances. The bulk of economic activity generated by a person’s employment abroad stays in the foreign nation. The remittances only offer a nominal increase for domestic consumption and a cushion for forex reserves. Unfortunately, our history is littered with examples of bandages being used in place of surgery.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 24th, 2023.
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