A RECENT report issued by the Intern-ational Labour Organisation (ILO), titled, ‘World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2025’, shows that the year 2024 marked the lowest worldwide unemployment rate on record at five per cent, and projections for 2025 are also positive.

The reported rate, however, hides major employment differences among different groups. Youth unemployment, for instance, continues to be a major problem, with 12.4pc young men and 12.3pc young women finding themselves out in the cold.

In the context of Pakistan, with a 54.5pc labour force participation rate, gender imbalance is quite obvious; 81.1pc of men and 22.2pc women. The unemp- loyment rate among young Pakistanis is 10.6pc, with the rate for young women being 5.9 percentage points above that of young men. The data clearly underlines the need to take immediate action to fix gender imbalances and create employment opportunities for the young.

Since Pakistan’s population is projected to cross the current 240 million by the end of 2025, with the youth making up 63pc of it, the situation demands quick solutions. This youth bulge can effectively boost economic growth, but only if there are enough opportunities in society. In case things do not change for the better, there would be increased social and economic divisions in society.

It is necessary for Pakistan to align its employment policies with global standards. It is through the provision of specialised programmes for young men and women, and access to high-quality education and training in prospective growth industries that we can make a start in the right direction.

Nazakat Hussain
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2025