Pakistan's 85 Million Workers: A Talent Powerhouse Racing Against Brain Drain
152 statistics show a young, digital and globally connected labour market, and the skilled talent now leaving it.
1. A young workforce the economy cannot yet absorb
GDP growth of 2.5–3% sits far below what 1.5 million annual entrants require. Economists cite 6–7% for sustained job creation.
Unemployment rate (%)
Estimates differ by source: IMF and YCharts put 2025 at 7.5%.
Labour force participation (%)
Pakistan ranked last of 148 countries in the WEF Global Gender Gap Report 2025.
2. Pay: a wide gap between digital and everyday jobs
Monthly earnings in PKR. IT professionals earn far above the national average, while inflation of 20–25% erodes real wages.
Bars scaled to PKR 250,000. Women in wage work earn about 25–30% less than men (ILO, July 2025).
3. The digital economy is the growth engine
IT, AI and freelancing are creating the high-value jobs the wider economy lacks.
Reported growth by segment (%)
Digital talent snapshot
4. Brain drain is reshaping the talent pool
Overseas job registrations have become a structural feature of the economy, and skilled professionals are leaving too.
White-collar emigrants, H1 2025
Q1 2025: where workers went
121,970 of 172,144 workers who secured jobs abroad went to Saudi Arabia. The "Others" share is calculated.
Remittances reached a record $38.5B in FY2025, about 8% of GDP.