Pak Faces ‘Twin Dangers’ of Domestic Unrest, Outward Migration as Unemployment Grows

NEW DELHI:
As millions of young Pakistanis enter an economy that has struggled to expand, stalled by macroeconomic instability and policy uncertainty, the country faces “twin dangers” of domestic unrest and accelerating outward migration, a new report has warned.

Pakistan must generate between 25 and 30 million jobs over the next decade — about 2.5 to 3 million every year.

However, without a thriving private economy, job creation on the scale required is simply not possible, argues The Express Tribune in an editorial.

“If inequality is deepened, it will push more young Pakistanis to seek livelihoods abroad, hollowing out the country’s human capital,” it laments.

World Bank President Ajay Banga said recently that without urgent and sustained job creation, Pakistan risks becoming a source of instability rather than an economic dividend.

The consequences are already visible.

About 4,000 doctors left the country in 2025 alone, the highest annual outflow on record.

Even highly trained professionals see few incentives to stay amid poor working conditions and limited career prospects, said the report.

Moreover, the country is navigating an IMF stabilisation programme while preparing to implement a 10-year Country Partnership Framework with the World Bank, which envisages around $4 billion a year in combined public and private financing.

That framework recognises that the state has limited fiscal space and the private sector already generates 90 per cent of jobs.

“Meanwhile, the country’s growing pool of freelancers shows clear entrepreneurial energy, but few are able to scale into firms that employ others, largely due to lack of credit, infrastructure and regulatory support,” said the report.

More than 7.6 lakh Pakistanis left the country for work in 2025, a figure that highlights the growing economic stress and lack of job opportunities at home, according to the data by finance ministry’s Monthly Economic Update and Outlook for January 2026.

The report showed weak performance in key areas such as exports, foreign direct investment (FDI) and overall growth.