Unemployment soars amidst growing population in Punjab

LAHORE:

Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan, is witnessing an alarming rise in unemployment as limited government jobs fail to accommodate the expanding youth population.

According to official data, Punjab's population has surged to 127.68 million as of 2023, compared to 73.62 million in 1998 and 109.99 million in 2017. The latest figures include 65.4 million males, 62.2 million females, and 13,957 transgender individuals. This rapid population growth has put immense pressure on public resources, including the availability of government jobs.

In response to rising unemployment, the Punjab government, in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), launched an online job portal that allowed both fresh and experienced job seekers to apply for public and private sector jobs from home. Over 170 departments have been registered on the portal, and candidates can filter job opportunities by city, sector, position, and qualifications. To date, over 2 million applications have been submitted, more than 447,000 profiles created, and over 11,000 job listings posted.

Despite this digital initiative, the demand for jobs significantly outweighs the supply. According to documents obtained by The Express Tribune, more than 2 million job seekers registered on the portal within days. At the same time, over 3,000 posts remain vacant in the Punjab Civil Secretariat and associated departments.

From 2021 to July 2025, over 2.4 million applications have been submitted for approximately 36,000 vacancies in more than 2,000 departments. In 2021, over 400,000 applications were submitted for 8,000 posts; in 2022, 500,000 for 6,000 posts; in 2023, more than 513,000 for 5,000 posts; in 2024, 800,000 for over 12,000 posts; and by July 2025, more than 300,000 for over 3,000 posts. However, despite the growing demand, thousands of vacancies remain unfilled in various government departments. Government sources confirm that the PPSC only recruits based on positions officially referred to them hence they do not independently fill vacancies.

Unemployed youth, Jazel Altaf and Shiza Fatima, both holding master’s degrees in computer science, revealed that they had been chasing government jobs for years without success. “While jobs exist in the private sector, they lack proper benefits. The government should lift restrictions on hiring and provide employment opportunities to educated, deserving individuals to combat unemployment in the province,” said the youngsters.

Chaudhry Ghulam Ghous, Secretary of the Punjab Civil Secretariat Employees Association, criticized the government’s approach, alleging it planned to hire politically favored individuals through a contractor-based system. “The government is considering outsourcing staff in several departments, replacing permanent employees through “right-sizing” measures, which is causing unrest among existing staff. Thousands of vacancies exist across multiple departments, yet the government has imposed hiring bans while selectively offering jobs on political grounds. Employment must be made accessible to address the growing unemployment crisis,” said Ghous.

According to the Punjab Public Service Commission’s (PPSC) spokesperson Uzma Rubab, approximately 400,000 youth have been recommended for government jobs from 2021 till July 2025. During this period, over 367,022 government posts received more than 3 million applications, out of which only 3,877 candidates were finally selected and deemed eligible for employment.

Meanwhile, a Punjab government spokesperson acknowledged the correlation between rising population and increasing unemployment. “Recruitment through PPSC is underway and departments undergoing “right-sizing” will not lose positions but gain more. Initiatives like the job portal are part of concrete efforts to reduce unemployment and 2026 will be marked as a year of progress in employment generation,” claimed the official.