Number of jobless people to reach 6.65m in 2020-21.

Byline: Bakhtawar Mian

ISLAMABAD -- The number of unemployed people in the country has been estimated to reach 6.65 million during the fiscal year 2020-21, compared to 5.80m of the outgoing financial year.

According to the government's annual plan 2020-21, Pakistan has the 9th largest labour force in the world which is increasing every year.

The number of employed workers will reach 62.91m in 2020-21 from 62.18m in 2019-20. According to the Labour Force Survey 2017-18, unemployment rate for the next year (2020-21) has been estimated at 9.56 per cent.

Pakistan is experiencing the phenomenon of unemployed educated people, particularly jobless graduates. The unemployment rate among degree-holders is almost three times higher than the other overall unemployed people. The reason given for this is a mismatch between the education being imparted and the need of the economy to sufficiently absorb fresh graduates.

Unemployment among educated people more widespread than other segments of work force

Similarly, the gender-based difference of unemployment, according to Labour Force Survey 2017-18, shows higher rate among the female than the male - 8.27pc and 5.07pc, respectively.

The youth unemployment rate is quite high as compared to the average unemployment rate. The highest overall unemployment rate (11.56pc) is prevalent among the age group of 20-24 years.

The annual plan, while underlining the importance of employment, says that provision of productive, remunerative and decent jobs is the basic mechanism to distribute benefits of growth among the poor segments of society. Creation of productive employment opportunities is one of the priorities of the government. Provision of employment, particularly to the youth, is a big challenge and highly important to develop and utilise capabilities of the younger generation.

Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world with a population of 219m. Given the current rate of population growth, it is estimated to reach...