Brain drain: 2.7m Pakistanis have exited country in last 5 years

Top 6 destinations are Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, UK, Gulf Cooperation Council countries and EU countries.


Web Desk/APP December 23, 2013
The reasons may be varied, but Pakistan will lose out on human resource if the brain drain trend continues. DESIGN: JAMAL KHURSHID

ISLAMABAD: A total of 2,765,789 citizens, including 31,607 from Balochistan, have proceeded abroad for employment opportunities over the last five years, state the latest figures released by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

According to the figures from January 2008 to September 2013, the selection of the workers was prerogative of the foreign employers which is based on the criteria “right person for the right job”.

In an earlier report, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis had stated that 5,873,539 Pakistanis have emigrated from 1981 to 2012, out of which a staggering 41,498 professional and technical workers left in 2012 alone.

The reasons may be varied, but Pakistan will lose out on human resource if the brain drain trend continues.

The trend becomes more evident as the amount of remittances overseas Pakistanis send to their families residing in Pakistan keeps growing each year.

Expatriate and overseas Pakistanis sent home a record $13.920 billion in the previous fiscal year (July 2012-June 2013), according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan. The figures show a growth of 5.56% or $733.64 million compared with $13.187 billion a year earlier.

The top six destinations are Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, UK, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries (including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman) and EU countries, with Saudi Arabia topping the list because of the $4.105 billion Pakistanis sent back home from there between July 2012-June 2013.

COMMENTS (58)

optimist | 10 years ago | Reply

Only last year ET was reporting that brain drain is being reversed and American and British Pakistanis are coming back to find jobs at home

http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/12953/changing-tides-pakistans-brain-drain-in-reverse/

optimist | 10 years ago | Reply

Most of the people who leave Pakistan are not really brains..... They are good for petty jobs which they are doing here and there. We save 200/300 US dollars a month which become 20 to 30 thousand rupees for our families. . I have lived in England for the last 20 years and I can assure you that I am not really a brain that Pakistan would miss. Basically, we ran away from negativity in the society (where everyone was telling us that things are better abroad and that Pakistan has no future). . When we came here we realised that Pakistan wasn't that bad. But it was too late now. Like losers, Pakistanis abroad are hiding here as everyone back home thinks that they must have millions by now! . Western countries are the best place to hide for losers! . I don't mean everyone but 99% of Pakistanis living abroad are doing menial jobs.

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