ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development assisted over 258,000 Pakistanis to go to Saudi Arabia for prospective job opportunities in various sectors during the first 10 months of the year.
According to the data compiled by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, manpower export to Saudi Arabia registered a marked increase of 207 percent in 2019 as compared to last year when 84,091 Pakistanis went to the Kingdom.
Some 176,947 Pakistanis also found jobs in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), exhibiting a nominal growth of 1.7 percent.
The number of Pakistani immigrants to Oman had also increased by 5.8 percent as 23,998 Pakistanis proceeded to the said country during the 10-month period as compared to 22,668 in the corresponding period of 2018.
An official source at the ministry told APP that the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on overseas Pakistanis and human resource development, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, had held consultations with the relevant authorities in different states to augment the number of Pakistani workers abroad.
He said that Zulfi Bukhari had formally requested the Saudi authorities to enhance the number of Pakistani workers in the multi-billion-dollar project, the New Taif City.
He said that Saudi Arabia had also extended an offer for Pakistan’s manpower export through “Musaned,” a digital platform launched by the Kingdom to facilitate labor recruitment process and ensure the protection of workers’ rights.
The process would take some months and after that the Pakistani workforce would be sent to Saudi Arabia through the online platform, he added.
The official said the ministry was also in the process of linking up its digital portal with the UAE to set up a direct link between its intending immigrants and foreign employers.
The initiative would eventually minimize the middle man’s role in the recruitment process, he added, and help the country train its workforce as per the international markets’ requirements.
He said the UAE ministry of human resources and Emiratization had offered to give access to its labor market’s database to Pakistan which would provide updated information of job opportunities in the UAE.
Sharing details of the recent visit of Zulfi Bukhari to Qatar, he said that the SAPM had held a fruitful meeting with Qatar’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Yousaf Mohamed-Al-Othman Fakhroo, and highlighted the potential of the Pakistani workforce.
Bukhari also urged the Qatari minister to expedite the public sector recruitment in the health and energy sectors.
During the meeting, the SAPM also emphasized the need for digital connectivity between the two ministries, which would make the recruitment mechanism more efficient.
Pakistani manpower export to Saudi Arabia goes up by 207 percent
Pakistani manpower export to Saudi Arabia goes up by 207 percent
- A nominal growth of 1.7 percent was also recorded in the number of Pakistanis who found jobs in the UAE
- Officials say Zulfi Bukhari held meetings in different countries to increase the number of Pakistani workers overseas
Pakistan’s annual inflation rises to 7% in February, statistics bureau says
- Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday after falling more than 5 percent due to the volatility
- IMF has urged policymakers to remain data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations, rebuild buffers
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s annual inflation rate rose to 7 percent year-on-year in February, the statistics bureau said on Monday, with fears of commodity prices volatility after US and Israel strikes in Iran.
The consumer price index of annual inflation jumped from 5.8 percent the previous month, the bureau said.
On a month-on-month basis, inflation increased by 0.3 percent in February, down from a 0.4 percent rise the previous month.
Pakistan’s stock exchange halted trading on Monday after falling more than 5 percent due to the volatility.
The central bank, which held its policy rate at 10.50 percent in January, has said inflation could exceed its 5 percent to 7 percent medium-term target range for a few months this year, even as growth gains momentum and imports push the trade deficit wider.
The International Monetary Fund, which has cautioned against premature monetary easing under Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program, has urged policymakers to remain data-dependent to anchor inflation expectations and rebuild external buffers.
An IMF mission has started discussions with Pakistani authorities on the third review of the country’s Extended Fund Facility and the second review of its Resilience and Sustainability Facility.
