During the first nine months of 2023, a significant exodus of over 630,000 Pakistanis occurred, driven primarily by the economic crisis and soaring inflation.
The dream of better job prospects and opportunities abroad, including scholarships and employment, has encouraged a substantial portion of Pakistan’s youth to seek their fortunes overseas.
The Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment data reveals that a staggering 633,108 Pakistanis officially registered for overseas employment within the first nine months of the current calendar year, up to September.
Up to July, the count of Pakistanis departing the country stood at 540,282, indicating that in September alone, over 92,000 individuals left Pakistan in pursuit of employment.
The breakdown of these statistics unveils a diverse array of occupations among those departing, with 275,433 being laborers, 141,282 serving as drivers, and significant numbers in fields such as engineering (6,351), accounting (5,876), medicine (2,580), and teaching (1,194).
Analyzing the occupational groups, 17,058 are classified as highly qualified, 35,414 as highly skilled, 232,933 as skilled, 65,922 as semi-skilled, while the majority, a substantial 281,781 individuals, are classified as unskilled.
Saudi Arabia, with 302,634 workers, emerged as the top destination for those seeking employment abroad, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 173,561, Oman with 44,567, and Qatar with 44,777 Pakistanis making their way to these countries. Other notable destinations include Malaysia (18,609), Bahrain (9,599), Romania (4,405), Greece (2,676), and Iraq (2,646).
It’s important to note that the data provided by the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment pertains only to individuals formally registered with the bureau, and does not encompass those who have ventured abroad for education or direct immigration purposes.