ISLAMABAD: Pakistan reported a 5% increase in overseas employment and a 9% rise in workers’ remittances, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday, citing the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis.

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis every year travel abroad for jobs in Gulf countries, Europe, the United States and other nations, who send back funds in foreign currencies that help Islamabad maintain its foreign exchange reserves.

Sharing key updates from the last year, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis said “tangible measures,” taken by the Bureau of Immigration to facilitate overseas job seekers, had yielded positive results in 2025, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported. 

“A total of 762,499 Pakistanis were sent abroad in 2025, while overseas Pakistanis remitted about 40 billion dollars during the year,” it reported, citing the ministry.

The ministry noted that it signed labor mobility agreements with Italy, Belarus and Iraq in 2025.

Pakistan currently seeks to diversify overseas employment destinations for its workforce and increase remittance inflows as it navigates a long path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.

“Italy’s allocation of 10,500 workers for Pakistan over three years was a major development providing opportunities for about 3,500 workers per year for three years,” the ministry said.

“Qatar’s resumption of work visas for Pakistani workers after 19 years expanded access to Gulf countries.”