Daily Times

The unemployment rate in Pakistan stands at 6.3 percent, with the highest percentage affecting youth aged 15-34, Secretary of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development chaired by Junaid Akbar here Thursday.

In an online briefing to the Committee, the Secretary highlighted the importance of remittances from the Pakistani diaspora as a crucial source of income for the country. He emphasized that the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOP & HRD) could play a pivotal role in national development by focusing on skilled labor and leveraging the diaspora’s potential to drive investment and knowledge transfer back to Pakistan.

The Secretary also discussed the ongoing demand for overseas workers, the diversification of skills to meet employers’ needs and the improvements in the governance of the emigration process to reduce response times. He further informed the Committee about institutional restructuring efforts aimed at boosting remittances, promoting investment, and engaging the diaspora effectively to support national development. Besides Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, the meeting was attended by Sardar Muhammad Yousaf Zaman, Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Nasir Iqbal Bhosal, Zilfiqar Ali Behan, Syed Rafiullah, Ms. Shahida Rehmani, Dr. Mahreen Razzaq Bhutto, Farhan Chishti, Muhammad Ilyas Choudhary, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Sajid Khan, Ms. Saba Sadiq MNA’S and senior officers from the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.