Pakistan’s exports of manpower to various countries had a record upsurge of 134,134 workers in mere the first two months of 2022 after a gradual removal of air restrictions amid the growing demand for workers in the Gulf states. According to the latest statistics from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, Pakistani workers who moved to various countries for employment in various categories were an average of 67,067 in each month of 2022 as compared to the average of the monthly exports of workers, that was 11,159 in 2021. As many as 72,544 Pakistanis moved to the KSA alone to acquire jobs in its different cities, which is 54 percent of the overall manpower exports. Besides, Oman, Qatar, and the UAE were three top destinations for Pakistanis workers during this period as the exports of workers to these countries were 30,281, 14,852, and 10,467 respectively. The exports of workers to major countries such as the UK and the USA were only 284 and 119 respectively, and those to European countries were largely concentrated in Romania and Spain, with the number of workers receiving employment standings at 234 and 109 respectively. Other countries in which Pakistanis were employed recently are Kuwait, with 3,194 workers; Iraq, with 271 workers; and South Korea with 199 workers.
Top Native Cities of Exported Workers in 2022
There are 154 cities in Pakistan from which workers moved to various countries for employment, of which DG Khan remains at the top as home to 8,078 workers. It is followed by Sialkot, with 6,308 workers; Gujranwala, with 4,623; and Rawalpindi with 3,894. The country also exports manpower from remote cities such as Toba Tek Sing, Vehari, Nankana Sahib, Bajour Agency, Malakand, Tharparkar, Gwadar, etc.
Employment Categories
Not surprisingly, most of the manpower exports are in the category of low-skilled and low-paying jobs, which remains a historical trend. Workers should be appreciated for such jobs but their contribution to the economy in terms of sending remittances is low as compared to the blue and white color jobs which a limited number of Pakistanis have in overseas countries. Here are the numbers of Pakistanis workers with the various jobs they have recently taken up in different countries: