Pakistan to export manpower to Azerbaijan

Aftab Ahmed

Islamabad: The PTI government has decided to export manpower to Azerbaijan.

At present more than 96 percent of Pakistani workers go to Gulf Cooperation Council countries for employment. But during recent years, there has been a sharp decline in the export of manpower to Middle East countries especially Saudi Arabia.

According to Economic Survey 2017-18, the number of Pakistani migrant workers abroad declined by 41 percent in 2017 compared to 2016. The development activities have been slow in Saudi Arabi that resulted in a decline in manpower export.

https://newztodays.com/pti-govt-works-out-a-plan-to-increase-export-of-manpower/

The main sources of foreign exchange are exports and remittances sent by Pakistani workers abroad. The remittances from the overseas Pakistani workers were up by 12.22 percent to $12.774 billion in the seven months of the fiscal year 2018/19 which stood at $11.383 billion in the same period last year.

The present government wants to enhance remittances by exploring the market of Azerbaijan, an important Central Asian State, rich in natural resources by sending manpower. The country is rich in natural resources, and its economy is heavily based on oil and gas.

The demand for a foreign workforce is shrinking in the GCC region. Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development and Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population and Republic of Azerbaijan negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of labor and manpower.

Pakistan wants to explore new avenues for Pakistani manpower and enhance relationships with Azerbaijan, an important Central Asian State, rich in natural resources. The cabinet has given go-ahead to ink manpower deal with energy-rich country Azerbaijan.

According to Economic Survey 2017-18, the number of Pakistani migrant workers abroad declined by 41 percent in 2017 compared to 2016.

In 2017, 496,286 Pakistani workers in the highly-qualified, highly-skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled categories were abroad for employment and Pakistan exported a total workforce of 839,353 persons in 2016

In 2013, Pakistan exported a total of 622,714 workers, which went up to 752,466 in 2014. The country witnessed a decline in the export of workforce in 2017 compared to 2016.