PESHAWAR: According to a survey released on Sunday by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), over 31% of the country’s youth are currently unemployed.
Females account for 51% of these 31%, while males account for 16%, with many of them holding professional degrees. Pakistan’s population is under 30 years old in over 60% of cases.
According to the research, the current unemployment rate of 6.9% is considered moderate and frequently makes headlines. It went on to say that many more women and those living in cities are unemployed than their male and rural colleagues.
PIDE also discovered that a shockingly big portion of the working-age population is not even employed. According to the research, these folks are either discouraged workers or have other sources of income.
Despite declarations and legislative attempts, the female labour force participation rate (LFPR) remains shamefully low, according to the report.
Despite all the hype about the youth bulge and enjoying the demographic dividend, the unemployment rate for young new entrants into the labour force remains the greatest, according to the report, which also claimed that youth employment takes a decade or more.
Education is regarded as a panacea and the door to all prospects, according to the research, but “reality shows us otherwise.”
According to the LFS, graduate unemployment is extremely high, according to PIDE. It reported that over 31% of youth with degrees, including professional degrees, are unemployed, with females accounting for 51% and males for 16%.
It went on to say that rural graduate unemployment is substantially higher than urban, raising the issue of mobility.
According to the research, services remain the primary employer in urban areas, with retail and wholesale commerce accounting for the bulk of jobs, while agriculture, including cultivation and livestock, continues to employ the majority of people in rural Pakistan.
Surprisingly, construction employs around 8% of the labour force in both urban and rural locations, possibly reflecting the strict regulatory and zoning regulations in cities, according to PIDE.
According to the survey, public employment in Pakistan provides prospects for higher-paying occupations. Since a result, the well-known preference for government work appears justified, as the monthly income in government jobs is much greater than in the private sector, according to the report.
It was pointed out that the census and survey definitions of cities do not sufficiently capture cities, city populations, or city boundaries. It noted that the LFS appears to point to a need to study and understand labour and product markets more thoroughly, as PIDE has been arguing for years.
The research inquired as to why metropolitan areas did not provide the chances that they should. It further inquired whether Pakistan is providing such possibilities for its citizens to participate in and thrive in, or whether the country is doing everything possible to ensure that its citizens succeed in the future.
It was stated that youth engagement is critical, especially when they make up the majority of the population. According to the LFS, one-third of young people in both rural and urban areas are detached from the system since they are neither employed nor registered.
It went on to say that young ladies are more disconnected, with 60% of them not working or studying.
