Opportunities abroad

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Despite the claims of the government, the surging number of Pakistanis seeking employment abroad is a poignant reflection of the country's economic landscape. In the first quarter of 2025, over 172,000 individuals ventured overseas, driven by the pressing need for better job opportunities and fairer salaries.

This trend underscores the continuing failure of the state to provide adequate employment prospects, especially for the burgeoning youth demographic.

Many skilled and unskilled workers across the country are grappling with stagnant wages and limited job availability. Despite the country's vast potential and resources, rampant inflation and economic instability have left countless professionals disillusioned.

The allure of foreign employment often outweighs the challenges of leaving home. Workers are not just searching for jobs; they are desperately seeking dignity and a means to support their families.

The vast majority of legal migrants are in the general labour category — approximately 99,139 individuals found work abroad as general labourers in just three months, indicating the desperate circumstances for unskilled workers.

Skilled labourers, too, are part of this trend. Engineers, doctors and other professionals are leaving in significant numbers. For instance, the migration of 1,479 engineers, 849 doctors, 390 nurses and 436 teachers illustrates that despite labour shortages in all of these industries, educated Pakistanis would rather try their luck abroad. In some cases, these highly educated Pakistanis are even willing to get into unskilled professions in developed nations such as the US and EU.

While it is every person's right to seek out a better life, our public representatives need to stop spouting the lie that exporting labour is a good thing just because it brings in remittances. If our economy was one of opportunity, we would not need remittances and could reap all the benefits of our human capital.