Daily Times

Huge percentage of young population is a great advantage to any country. As the young people grow into adulthood, they are expected to become part of a productive work force thus contribute towards extraordinary economic development for their nation. Their energy, creativity and imagination becomes instrumental in fueling the engine of country’s economy. Pakistan is the fifth largest country in terms of its young population in the entire world. A young population that is estimated as 64% of the country’s total inhabitance remains below the age of 30 while 29% of this youth bulge falls between 15 to 29 years of age.

Youth bulge is considered as a gift and opportunity since the ratio of the working population to non-working population improves the per capita income. It increases the comparative size of the productively employed labor force and thus indicates increase in income and savings. A Family, which remains an economic unit in a society, enjoys affluence due to availability of more workers against fewer dependents in a house hold. In nutshell, the youth bulge becomes a demographic dividend. However, if this growing size of youth, does not get opportunity to enter into a productive participation in the labor force, it becomes a destabilizing force for that particular country. It not only negatively impacts the economy but also impinges upon the security situation. It is an accepted reality that a milieu of continued high fertility and persistent high dependency in a country, paves the way for disturbed internal security situation even increases possibilities for an armed conflict in the country.

Pakistan stands at 147th position out of 188 countries in the Human Development Index. It is unfortunately lower than many developing countries in our region. Unemployment rate is forecasted to be 6.140 % in December 2019 as reported by International Monetary Fund – World Economic Outlook. This figure has increased from the last number of 6.079 % reported in 2018. In next five years, i.e. by the end of 2024, Pakistan’s unemployment rate is calculated to increase to 6.457 %.

It does not need to be explained that these enormous regiments of young people, if not given space to find employment to earn a satisfactory income, becomes a demographic threat. Youth bulge becomes an assured potential source of social, economic and political instability. The bent of youth bulge that was developing for the last many years in Pakistan, has until now remained an utilized prospect. In 2016, UNESCO Institute for Statistics estimated around 25 percent of the Pakistani youth who remain void of literacy. 8.2 percent of the youth was noted as unemployed with no vocational and technical skills. Despite all the claims by successive governments, access to education remains low in the country. Completion rate for primary education in Pakistan, is still marked as lowest amongst other developing countries in the world. Governments spending on education still remains low and with each passing day, young people in Pakistan are finding it extremely difficult to contribute to country’s economy. As a fact, Pakistan is slowly losing the benefit and experiencing the negatives of this under exploited advantage. Youth in Pakistan are known to be most “Stressed Out” and frustrated part of the population. The anxieties and frustrations of young Pakistanis have become varied and complex. On one hand, young population has remained uneducated with very less percentage able to attain technical skills while on the other hand, those with access to education do not have required quality.

It is a fact that governments cannot provide jobs to all of the young people in a country. Thus the future of Pakistani youth lies in entrepreneurship and tech-based education. This would empower them to create more employment opportunities for themselves as well as for others

Graduates produced by educational institution lacks quality. There is a cavernous fissure between educational sector and the job market in the country. What so ever is taught to the youngsters is not good enough to cut it at required level. Recruiters in market are seen cranky that they do not get suitable candidates. Those available from the local education system, are not skilled enough in their chosen vocations. Quantity and quality of job-seeking contenders, produced by underprivileged education system, remains extremely poor. In short, the basic instrument to transform this bulge into opportunity seems lacking.

Youth bulge alone does not guarantee any economic boom for Pakistan. Before a country can experience a demographic dividend rendered by age structure of its population, numerous important constituents must come together allowing countries to reap maximum benefits. There must be investments in education, aimed at improving educational quality and making years of study fruitful. Girls must receive quality education to participate in the economic activity. As girls and women achieve higher education, their birth rates tend to drop naturally. Governments must design policies and projects that support opportunities for young male and female citizens. If the young adults do not get ample access to opportunities and markets, an irreversible instability is sure to follow.

It is a fact that governments cannot provide jobs to all of the young people in a country. Thus the future of Pakistani youth lies in entrepreneurship and tech-based education. This would empower them to create more employment opportunities for themselves as well as for others. Public and the private sector may assist government in providing optimum training and presenting hiring opportunities for the youth. Especially NGOs, vocational and professional training institutes have an important role in this regard. Pakistan as a country will reap immense benefit from youth entrepreneurship, dynamism, and energetic drive if right investments are encouraged and youth-centric policies are introduced by government. Policy makers and investors must pursue ingenuities to ensure support for the health and educational of the young generation so that these young citizens are prepared and enabled to supply the work force that future economy of Pakistan and that of entire world demands.

The writer is a versatile analyst and a speaker on contemporary issues