PESHAWAR:Over 31 per cent of country’s youth is currently unemployed, revealed a report on the employment situation released by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) on Sunday.
Out of these 31 per cent, 51 per cent are females while 16 per cent are males, with many of them possessing professional degrees. Nearly 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population is less than 30 years old.
The report stated that the current unemployment rate of 6.9 per cent is considered to be comfortable and frequently makes headlines. Far more females and those living in urban areas are unemployed than their male and rural counterparts, it added.
PIDE also revealed that a surprisingly large part of the working-age group is not even part of the labour force. These people are either discouraged workers or have other means of income to support them, the report stated.
It also stated that despite pronouncements and policy initiatives, the female labour force participation rate (LFPR) remains shockingly low.
Despite all the talk about the youth bulge and reaping the demographic dividend, the unemployment rate is the highest for the young new entrants in the labour force, it further stated, adding that it takes about a decade or more for youth to be employed.
