Recently, a job advertisement appeared on a job portal where the offered monthly salary for carpenter, mason, steel fixer was 950 Saudi riyals, which converts to about Rs45,000. Considering the skilled workers need a certain amount of money for their basic living needs in Saudi Arabia, and save some for the family back home and the future, this is indeed a paltry offer.
Although the economic situation in Pakistan is not too encouraging, skilled worker can still make up to Rs40,000 a month. Then how do overseas workers actually benefit from a job away from home?
The biggest problem faced by overseas Pakistanis is the fraudulent behaviour of agents who work with foreign companies. They offer a scheme to companies in the Middle East which allows them to earn a hefty commission in exchange for cheap labour.
To make the tireless efforts of overseas workers worthy, the agents must commit sincerity to their countrymen. They must demand minimum wage of at least 1500 to 2000 Saudi riyals from the Middle Eastern companies and in return provide them skilled labour.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken special interest in solving the problems of overseas Pakistanis since he has come into power. The workforce abroad is generally happy with the PTI government’s initiatives to safeguard the overseas workforce. The government has also given them the right to vote. Still there’s room for further improvement.
The government must step up to protect the overseas workforce by guaranteeing them labour rights. Perhaps, the introduction of an effective 24/7 UAN number (helpline) may provide some relief and protect the workers from being exploited.
Working away from their homeland, the overseas workers play a key role in the development and prosperity of Pakistan. The latest issue of ‘Migration and Development Brief’ says Pakistan had another year of record remittances with growth at 26 percent, and levels reaching $33 billion in 2021.
Presently, some nine million Pakistanis reside in different countries of the world to make a living. According to figures released by the Pakistan Bureau of Immigration and Overseas Employment, a majority of them live in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. Thirty percent of overseas Pakistanis belong to eight districts of Pakistan — six of which are in Punjab, one in Sindh and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There are 21 out of 154 districts in Pakistan where less than 1000 people have gone abroad to work. About 546,0987 (45 percent) of Pakistanis living abroad belong to Punjab; 32,75,904 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; 1,028,582 from Sindh; 1,16617 from Balochistan; 690,968 from Azad Kashmir and 24,223 from Gilgit-Baltistan.
The highest number of people (539,381) that have gone abroad is from Karachi Central District; followed by Sialkot District of Punjab with 476,877 persons and Rawalpindi with 392,250. Lahore district has 406,023, Gujranwala city 372,882 and Gujrat City 357,811 people abroad. Also, 3,45,796 Pakistanis from Swat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are working overseas.
The government must step up to protect the overseas workforce by guaranteeing them labour rights. Perhaps, the introduction of an effective 24/7 UAN number (helpline) may provide some relief and protect the workers from being exploited.
The writer is journalist, lawyer and poet based in Islamabad. He can be reached at faalvi@live.com and tweets at @faisalazfaralvi
