By: Rana Farooq Ashraf
Published By: ANI News Agency
Pakistan is facing a serious economic challenge. Thousands of young people are leaving the country in search of better employment, higher wages and a more secure future. Their departure is often celebrated because it brings foreign remittances, but a more important question remains unanswered: why is Pakistan unable to provide decent employment opportunities to its own people?
When factory workers, technicians, electricians, welders, engineers, agricultural workers and other skilled and semi-skilled professionals leave the country in growing numbers, it is not merely a migration issue. It is a warning about the weakening productive capacity of the national economy.
According to Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2024–25, 727,381 Pakistanis registered for overseas employment in 2024. These figures reflect the importance of foreign employment, but they also raise a fundamental question: are we using our human resources to strengthen our own economy, or are we increasingly relying on other countries to provide our youth with livelihoods?
The Philippines offers an important lesson. Millions of Filipinos work abroad, and their remittances contribute significantly to the country’s economy. However, Pakistan must not interpret this experience as a reason to depend on exporting labour. The real lesson is that overseas earnings should complement domestic industrial development, investment, education and productive capacity rather than become a substitute for them.
In Pakistan’s villages and smaller cities, many young people see migration as their only realistic path towards financial security. Families sometimes sell land, jewellery or their lifetime savings to finance overseas employment. Their decisions are understandable, but the national consequences deserve serious attention. When industries struggle to survive, agricultural productivity remains weak and local businesses face rising costs, the country risks losing the very workforce it needs for economic recovery.
The problem is not that Pakistanis are going abroad. The problem is that Pakistan is failing to create sufficient opportunities at home. Addressing this challenge requires practical reforms.
– Revive domestic industries: Provide small and medium-sized enterprises with reliable energy, accessible financing, a simplified tax system and consistent economic policies. Government incentives should be linked to actual production, new jobs and the employment of local skilled workers.
– Connect technical education with employment: Align vocational training with the needs of industry. Young people should graduate with practical skills, recognised certifications and realistic employment prospects, rather than qualifications that do not translate into jobs.
– Strengthen agriculture and rural economies: Invest in modern irrigation, agricultural machinery, cold storage, dairy farming and food processing. Developing rural industries can generate employment in smaller towns and reduce the economic pressure forcing young people to migrate.
– Turn remittances into productive investment: Create transparent and secure opportunities for overseas Pakistanis to invest in manufacturing, small businesses and export-oriented projects. Returning workers should also be encouraged to transfer their international experience and technical expertise to local industries.
– Make employment a measure of government performance: Federal and provincial governments should establish measurable targets for job creation, industrial growth, vocational training and business development. Annual performance reports should show how many sustainable jobs have actually been created, rather than merely announcing investment plans.
Pakistan’s national security depends not only on the defence of its borders but also on economic stability, social cohesion and public confidence in the future. Persistent unemployment and financial insecurity can deepen frustration among young people, while decent employment strengthens their connection with the state and their commitment to national development.
This challenge cannot be addressed by one government or institution alone. Federal and provincial authorities, private businesses, educational institutions and financial organisations must work together. Pakistan needs consistent policies, a business-friendly environment, protection for workers and a long-term industrial strategy that rewards production rather than speculation.
The remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis are a valuable national asset, and their contribution deserves recognition. However, a country’s success cannot be measured simply by the number of its citizens working abroad. It must also be measured by the opportunities it provides at home, the industries it develops and the extent to which its people can build secure and dignified lives in their own country.
Pakistan must move beyond being an exporter of labour and become an exporter of skills, technology, value-added products and industrial goods. Our objective should not be to prevent young people from leaving, but to ensure that leaving is a choice rather than an economic compulsion.
The real success of Pakistan will not be measured by how many Pakistanis find work around the world, but by how effectively the country creates opportunities for its people at home. This is the foundation of economic stability, national sovereignty and a secure future for Pakistan.
