(March 11, 2019)
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President All Karachi Industrial Alliance (AKIA), Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister, Mian Zahid Hussain on Monday said that United Nations in its recent report on youth development disclosed that 1.4 million youngsters enter job market each year. Around 1.3 million new jobs are required to facilitate them on annual basis. The 64 % youth population is the real asset of the Country; Government is required to take practical measures to include the young population in economic development of the country through quality education, vocational training and development. Majority workforce posses matric or below qualification while the trained workforce is around 15 percent in which females are further below than that.
The Veteran Business Leader while talking to the business community said that Pakistan stands at 150th rank in the global human development index, while in youth development Pakistan is the only non African country in the bottom ten. To develop the young population of the country, better and easy access to education and vocational training is need of time. Half of the country’s population is comprised of women but Pakistan is lowest in women employment in the South Asia. It is required to include women in the economic growth of the country through education, easy access to employment and vocational training.
The Former Minister said that to create employment opportunities in the country, govt. must encourage entrepreneurship and KP base youth development program should be extended at federal level to facilitate the young generation across country. IBA Karachi, LUMS Lahore, NUST Islamabad and IM Sciences Peshawar are taking several measures to promote entrepreneurship, which need to be taken to next level. In addition, ease of doing business and access to finance should be given to aspirant and talented entrepreneurs so that new employment opportunities may be created.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that it is appreciative that Pakistan is progressing economically, socially, politically and culturally; law and order situation in the country is much better and stable while trade, investment and industrial sustainability is observed. PTI govt. should take practical measures to fulfill its promise of providing 10 million jobs in five years. The 5 million housing projects and completion of CPEC will however improve the employment situation in the country.
