Pakistani women earn 38.5% less than men: report

Workers paid Rs12,118 per month in 2013, according to latest Labour Force Survey

KARACHI: Despite the recent wage growth in Asia and the Pacific outperforming most of the world, workers in Pakistan are still earning extremely low wages, according to a report released by the International Labour Organistaion (ILO) on Friday.

Although the average wage growth has increased as compared to previous years, the inequality has remained a concern and the benefits have not been shared as widely, the report revealed.

A supplement to the International  Labour Organisation Global Wage Report 2014/15 highlighted that Pakistani women, in particular, are less likely to hold wage jobs and are paid less than their male counterparts. Women earn  38.5% less than men.

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION

The monthly minimum wage for unskilled garment workers in the garment sector of Pakistan, Cambodia and Viet Nam, meanwhile, ranges from $85 to $128, which is much less than the lowest relevant minimum wage in China ($156).

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION

Moreover, garment production throughout Asia is characteriaed by long working hours rather than workplace efficiencies. In Pakistan, Viet Nam and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, around one-half of wage employees in the industry work more than 48 hours per week. Due to the low base wage, workers often depend on excessive overtime to supplement their earnings.

Excessive overtime often has a cost in terms of workers’ health and safety; it can also discourage the adoption of more productive work methods, the supplement adds.

It suggested that decent wages, better working conditions and continued productivity enhancements are the only way to secure the sustained growth of Asia’s apparel industry.

In general, the wage growth of Pakistan has been relatively low. Real wages fell in 2009 and 2011 and grew by 2.6% in 2010. According to the latest Labour Force Survey, wages of Pakistani workers were averaged Rs12,118 per month in 2013 ($119).

SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION

In South Asia, wage employment accounts for only 22.7% of all jobs, a modest improvement over the 18.2% recorded in 2000.

Essentially, the government needs to take action on various fronts to set wage policies on a sustainable path, as low wage levels has ranked Pakistan among the countries with the highest incidence of working poverty world-wide.