Youth Unemployment Plaguing the Country
SHYHNILA ANWAR
Research conducted by Policy Research, Innovation, Development and Education (PIDE) divulged drastic statistics about youth unemployment. Over 31% of educated youth is unemployed, out of those 51% are females and 16% are males. Surprisingly this 31% possesses professional degree. Graduate unemployment is outrageous.
Unemployment rate is excessive for young fresh graduates. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa peaks in unemployment with 8.8 percent as a province. While Karachi has the highest unemployment rate of 11.2% as a city.
In spite of burgeoning population and demographic dividend , Rural unemployment is much higher than urban, begging the question of mobility!
One prime reason for Rural unemployment is low levels of higher education acquisition. Biggest proportion of unemployed youth lies below with an educational level of matric or intermediate.This alpha generation, needs to embrace liberalism in the era of technology, innovation and advancement. Women in rural areas are still liable to “so called” rituals and norms. This bereave them from achieving higher education. In tribal and rural areas literacy rate is very low the disconnect is higher for young females with sixty percent neither working nor studying.
Primitively in tribal areas women are not encouraged to get education , secondarily females are permitted for secondary education. Rebellion women who take stand for themselves and strive to achieve higher education cannot make it to practice their profession for multiple reasons. Including early marriages, societal norms, family support, financial distress apart from all maternal leave.
The purveying of maternity leave is one such instrument of facilitation. It’s constitutional responsibility to facilitate expectant and new mothers , through paid leave in order to modernize and rationalize the current regulatory scheme of maternity leave. In order to stabilize working women and their basic necessities so that they can stop quitting their position and professions.
Coming back to previous point, youth is suffering ghastly. Economic condition of Pakistan compelled them to leave the country by any means possible. 800, 000 Pakistanis left the country, in year 2023 to take up jobs overseas. Persistently soaring inflation is making civilians fight an uphill battle.
Ship sinking incident of Greece , drowning hundreds of Pakistanis and dozens are missing, is clear depiction of Pakistan’s recruitment condition. Youngsters even dared to earn foursquare meal at cost of their lives. For graduates getting a job with desired salary package and satisfactory incentives , is a snowball in hell fire.
Higher Education Commission (HEC) can aid government as a helping hand by introducing innovative scholarship projects, incentives and campaigns to draw student’s attention toward higher education. To increase our literacy rate and drive youth toward scope of higher education and adapting new skills to get ready for digital market.
According to research and survey it is stated that It will take a decade or more for youth to be employed.The surging unemployment challenge requires to be addressed via multi-pronged approach. Working on skill development, modifying our core education system, Search Engine Optimization (SEO and SEM) training programs that offers work from home , creating more room for jobs, taking initiatives to expand job vacancies keeping youth in mind otherwise a dreary future awaits the country.
