Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) plans to carry out massive media campaigns abroad to eventually engage foreign countries in employing Pakistan’s skilled manpower.

The OEC has worked these campaigns out, as an optimum way to check drastic decline on this count after about 4.5 million foreign workforce was affected in the wake of economic shifts in the Gulf Cooperation Council since 2015.

Talking to media, OEC Deputy Managing Director Muhammad Jamshed said promotional campaigns would be launched through foreign electronic, print and social media as well as by OEC’s web portal.

“Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Libya, Malaysia and South Korea have been identified as potential countries for these drives and department is in constant contact with our high commissions on this count. The campaigns via electronic media in GCC countries are not possible and for the purpose, events, conferences and road-shows will be arranged through community welfare attaché,” he elaborated the plan.

The country at the moment has on its strength over 4 million skilled manpower and out of these 2.5 million meet international standards who can contribute significantly through foreign remittance.

Muhammad Jamshed revealed that a project PC-I of Rs 125 million had been evolved by OEC last year for immediate marketing and promotional activities through State Life Emigrant’s Insurance Fund (SLEIF) Account of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOP&HRD).

It has been approved, in principle, by the Departmental Working Party of the Ministry and final approval is expected to be accorded in its next meeting, scheduled to be held next month, he added.

He said the MOP&HRD had been requested that in pursuance of OEC’s mandate as assigned under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979 Rule 4 (1), it may be authorised to utilise the funds from SLEIF Account.

Currently, billions of rupees are being accumulated in the SLEIF Account and these funds can be utilised for all activities related to promotion of employment abroad, he added.

Jamshed said OEC was perturbed over the country’s human export decline and repatriation of skilled work. The declined figures have come to 500,000 from around 950,000 in last three years that was the highest figure in Pakistan’s history since OEC’s inception.

He said a proposal has also been moved regarding addition of Rs 200 in existing fees of Rs 2,000 Manpower Welfare Fund, aimed at welfare of overseas Pakistanis that was also under process.

He said timely release of required funds would help OEC achieve advancement of direct communication and diplomatic channels, besides ensuring qualitative training of workforce, upgradation of its infrastructure for expeditious processing and to make sure the repatriation of overseas was made as per work agreements.

Jamshed, however, regretted the paucity of funds and disagreement between stakeholders were main hurdles in achieving the desired targets and goals.

Published in Daily Times, April 23^rd 2018.