WEB DESK: Unemployment in Pakistan has jumped from 1.5 per cent to 7 per cent in just the previous decade. The Ministry of Planning report attributes such a dreadful increasing tendency to a low GDP growth, which has patently failed to keep pace with the rising demands of sectors such as health and education.
The findings unearth a critical challenge the country faces insufficient capabilities to create adequate employment opportunities, especially for women and youth. In addition, the document notes that the unemployment rate in Pakistan has now begun to outshine its regional neighbors India and Bangladesh, thus requiring immediate economic actions.
Economic strains are already evident as every year, a 5 million increase in population is contributed by the country. As per the Planning Commission, it should generate at least 1.5 million jobs each year, if, it wants to catch up with the demands for employment.
It points to some chasms spread such that a wide gap generally exists in labor market participation: Pakistani women are far behind in getting jobs when compared to their counterparts in regional countries. As such, the Commission would focus efforts to ensure that unemployment among the youth reduces at least by 6 per cent and, among those unemployed women, by 17 per cent.
