Challenged For An Skilled Overseas Pakistani

We can divide the Overseas Pakistani​ community into four groups, one is skilled, the other is partially skilled, the third is unskilled, and the remaining number consists of highly educated people such as those from various fields. Experts like doctors, engineers, accountants, scientists, researchers, etc. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), Pakistan is one of the major labor sending countries. In December 2019, 11 million Pakistanis left 50 countries legally. Most of the Pakistani workers go to Gulf countries, which is 96 percent, in which Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are notable. 62 to 65 percent of remittances are sent by overseas Pakistanis from these countries, which is equivalent to 5.7 billion Pakistani rupees. According to the 2020 report of the International Labor Organization, Saudi Arabia has the largest Pakistani population with 332,713 workers, followed by 211,216 workers in the UAE, and 28,391 workers in Oman. In which 285932 are skilled workers, 249075 are unskilled and 64876 are semi-skilled.

Issues Faced By A Skilled Overseas Pakistani

A large number of Pakistanis live in the Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, etc. This number consists of skilled Pakistanis, but Pakistanis in these countries face many problems.

Fraud By Agents

The biggest problem that could be faced by any skilled overseas Pakistani is fraud by agents working for different companies. These agents offer these companies that they will provide them with cheap labor if they will give them a commission, they risk the future of countless Pakistanis for their small commission. Millions of rupees are taken from Pakistanis in the name.

Absence Of Final Wages

Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE have set any minimum wages for skilled overseas Pakistanis. However, in Saudi Arabia, 3000 Saudi Riyals has been set in the public sector, while no such wage has been set in the private sector. Of course, there are chances of a three percent increase in salaries and wages in Saudi Arabia due to many new projects. It has been reported that the monthly salary of carpenters, laborers, etc. in Saudi Arabia is 9500 riyals, which is 45 thousand Pakistani rupees, which is very low, what they will eat and send home.

Employment Fees And Other Expenses for Overseas Pakistani

According to Clause 15A of the Immigration Act, the employment agency can charge only 6000 Pakistani rupees for service charges only for tickets, medical examination, work permit, tax visa, and other documents. But these overseas skilled people are paying very high fees to these people. Apart from this, they also pay a huge amount to get job information and speed up the immigration process. According to the survey, 80% of the money spent on the job is given to the agent. Hence, the high cost of migration and low wages is a major problem faced by skilled workers, besides large number of these agents are unlicensed.

Poor Health Status: An  Overseas Pakistani gets

The low-wage migrant class does not have access to basic health facilities. Most of the people’s health problems are due to the off-the-job nature of their work. In addition, the rupees spent on their health in the UAE are deducted from the wages of overseas Pakistani workers.

Skilled overseas Pakistanis also suffer from exploitation of rights in these Middle East countries. Their passports are confiscated by their sponsors and they are forced to share a room with several people, besides the “sponsor system” is a system of forced labor and the sponsors, the employers, are skilled workers. It even restricts the movement of people. The Pakistani government should take significant steps to address the problems faced by these talented people abroad to stop this exploitation that has been going on for years.

For government assistance, welfare programs, and resources tailored to the needs of Overseas Pakistanis, visit the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) official website.

Many Overseas Pakistanis face challenges while living abroad. Learn more about the problems in UAE and how to overcome them.