Struggling for survival at home, over 172,000 Pakistanis leave for overseas employment

Islamabad, April 15 (IANS) At least 172,144 Pakistanis ventured for overseas opportunities during the first quarter of 2025 amid prevailing uncertainty, constant job losses, towering inflation, lack of employment opportunities and no hopes of better days in Pakistan.

The Bureau of Immigration in Pakistan released the alarming figures on Tuesday about people who have sought employment opportunities abroad during the first three months of 2025.

As per details, the majority of the applicants have selected Saudi Arabia as their top desired destination for work with the highest number of job seekers at 121,190. Oman is the second with 8,331 Pakistanis seeking employment while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is third in the list with 6,891 employment seekers.

The list also includes Qatar as a popular choice with 12,989 and Bahrain with at least 939 Pakistani employment seekers. Moreover, applications have also been received for United Kingdom (1,454), Turkey (870), Greece (815), Malaysia (775), China (592), Azerbaijan (350), Germany (264), US (257), Italy (109) and Japan (108).

More details revealed that the majority of the employment seekers were categorised as general labourers with at least 38,274 drivers, 1,859 masons, 2,130 electricians, 1,689 cooks, 3,474 technicians, and at least 1,058 welders.

The emigration of professionals from Pakistan has also been recorded in significant numbers. As per statistics, professionals seeking employment overseas include 849 doctors, 1,479 engineers, 390 nurses and at least 436 teachers who have secured jobs in different foreign countries in 2025, so far.

Interestingly, the statistics from 2023 and 2024 also show a surge in asylum applications by Pakistanis. Data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) showed that at least 28,000 Pakistanis applied for asylum in the EU between October 2023 and October 2024.

While these statistics are of those who apply through legitimate routes and processes, a large number of people also opt for illegal means of human trafficking and human smuggling channels to reach western and European countries.

--IANS

int/hamza/as