According to data obtained from the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment, more than 127,000 Pakistanis left the country in search of better jobs and opportunities. Ahsan Iqbal, minister for planning, development, and special initiatives said; “The huge exodus of educated youth is of great concern. It is our responsibility to provide them an enabling environment to stem the emigration.”
Statistical Breakdown of Pakistanis Leaving the Country
The breakdown of the Pakistanis who have left the country included 52,398 laborers who left the country in January and February while 29,989 were drivers; the other sum included 1,396 engineers, 1,257 accountants, 549 doctors, and 241 teachers. Out of the remaining ones, 61,321 people migrated to Saudi Arabia, 27,501 to the United Arab Emirates, 13,700 to Qatar, and 11,060 left Pakistan for Oman.
It should be noted that the abovementioned data does not paint a complete picture as it has only detailed the people registered with the bureau. There are still many people who left the country for studies or via direct immigration, in such cases, the data needs to be upgraded. According to the bureau, more than 800,000 Pakistanis left Pakistan of 220 million to take up jobs last year.
Why is the Talented Youth Leaving Pakistan?
Many young workers are keen to leave the country and they are frustrated by a decline in purchasing power and limited opportunities to improve their standard of living. A survey from Gallup Pakistan concludes that almost one in three Pakistanis aged under 30 would like to take a job abroad.
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