According to the latest data from the National Labor Force Survey 2024-25, the unemployment rate in Pakistan has reached 7.1 percent, which is higher than the 6.3 percent recorded in the year 2020-21.
According to the survey, unemployment has increased by 0.8 percent during the last five years, resulting in about 8 million Pakistanis being unemployed. According to the 2023 Census, the country’s population is 241.49 million, of which 3.3 percent people are unemployed.
Sector-wise Employment
According to the National Economic Survey, the services sector has the highest employment availability, with 31.83 million people working here, and the employment rate is 41.7 percent. The employment rate in the agricultural sector was 33.1 percent (25.53 million people), while in the industrial sector it was 25.7 percent (19.86 million people).
Increase in wages
According to the Labor Force Survey, the average monthly wage per capita in Pakistan is Rs. 39,042, which has increased by an average of Rs. 15,014 in the last five years. The average monthly wage of men was recorded at Rs. 39,302 and that of women at Rs. 37,347.
Expert opinion
According to economists, these figures show imbalances in the employment provision sectors in the country’s economy and emphasise the need to increase employment opportunities in the industrial sector.
