Daily Times

The overall unemployment rate in Pakistan During the past decade has increased from 5.1% to 5.7%, while the unemployment rate among graduates rose alarmingly to 16.3% in 2017-18 from 5.3% in 2006-07, reveals the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

The Pakistan Employment Trends 2018 survey conducted by the PBS revealed alarming proportions as the unemployment rate among female graduates rose significantly to 41% in 2017-18, while it was 9.7% in 2006-07. Male graduates’ unemployment rate surged to 7.3% in 2017-18 from 4.6% in 2006-07.

Similarly, unemployment rate among intermediates rose to 11.7% in 2017-18 from 6.5% in 2006-07, while under-matric jobless rates swelled to 6.4% in the said period.

“Unemployment rate constitutes rising curve from (5.1%) in 2006-07 to (5.7%) in 2011-12 and lose stem in the last three years. Males and females unemployment rates make the similar pattern, however the latters are higher than formers. The distance between males and females unemployment rates does not seem to be shrinking during the period,” said the report.

Province-wise breakup indicates that unemployment rate in Sindh rose to 5% from 4.8%, and the unemployment rate in Balochistan surged to 4% from 3.9%. However, unemployment rate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab fell marginally during the said period to 7.3% and 5.7% from 7.9% and 6%, respectively.

According to the survey, employment to population ratio tends to increase from 49.8% in 2006-07 to 50.7% in 2009-10 and decelerates thereafter to end up 48.9% in 2017-18. “By gender, a sort of decrease obtains for males from 2006-07 to 2012-13 and a sort of decline is observed in the year 2017-18. However, employment to population ratio of males is about three to four times of that female which is at variance with the cause of gender equity. The gap is closing with the passage of time.”

The survey revealed that youth (15-24 years) employment to population ratio seemed to waving down from 40.9% at beginning of the period (2006-07) to a level of 36.9% at the end (2017-18) of the period. “Similar curvature is made in the case of males and females. Again, figures for males are more than double of the corresponding figures for females. However, disparity is shrinking down the time lane,” it added.

However, it said the labour force participation rate marginally increased from 52.5% at the beginning of the series in 2006-07 and hovered around in its proximity till the end of the period (51.9% in 2017-18). “Likewise participation rates of males remain in the close vicinity of 81% during the period, with higher start in 2006-07 (83.1%). Females participation rates remain steady of one-fourth (21.3%) of males participation rates in 2006-07 till the end of the series (22.8%) in 2017-18.”