Maiden youth policy

All and sundry in high offices have touted Pakistan's demographic dividend as a catalyst for future success, but almost every effort to realise this success has gone by the wayside, leaving us instead with a brain drain that threatens to keep us from ever rising beyond a very low ceiling.

This week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally launched the country's first National Youth Employment Policy, a comprehensive framework which, if implemented with rigour, could finally begin to translate demographic reality into economic opportunity. The policy's ambition is commendable. A mandatory 35% quota for women in the labour force acknowledges that Pakistan cannot afford to leave half its population on the economic sidelines. Equally noteworthy is the 10% annual quota for young startups, shifting the policy gaze from conventional job-seeking towards entrepreneurship and innovation. These targets represent a structural rethinking of how the domestic labour market must evolve.

But ambition must be matched by execution. The policy sets a target of halving the number of youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) by 2030 – a goal that is so ambitious that it could be mistaken for a typo. A National Coordination Committee has been established to oversee implementation, but even with perfect coordination between the government, the private sector and international partners, such a massive reduction is unrealistic. Other measures, such as more free laptops for deserving students, AI and IT training, and scholarships to China, are encouraging, but they are parts of a whole. With the lack of jobs waiting for these students when they graduate, the government must set the stage for them to become entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, investment capital is also hard to come by.

While the government deserves credit for coming up with a plan, it must ensure that the 'next plan' is ready for implementation sooner rather than later, or we will remain a source of subsidised skilled labour for companies abroad.