Pakistan’s unemployment rises to 7.1%, 8 million out of work

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s unemployment rate has risen to 7.1 per cent, up from 6.3 per cent in 2020-21, the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) said on Tuesday.

The FBS released the results of the National Labour Force Survey 2024-25, which show that unemployment has increased by 0.8 per cent over the last five years.

It said that currently, around 8 million people in Pakistan are unemployed.

According to the survey, Pakistan’s population stands at 241.49 million based on the 2023 census. “The labour force has exceeded 77.2 million, with the working-age population constituting 43 per cent and the inactive population 53.8 per cent of the total,” the report said.

The survey indicated that 3.3 per cent of Pakistan’s population is unemployed.

According to the survey, the services sector led in employment generation, followed by agriculture and industry. “About 31.83 million people are employed in the services sector, which has the highest employment rate at 41.7 per cent,” the survey said.

In agriculture, 25.55 million people are employed, with an employment rate of 33.1 per cent, while the industrial sector provides jobs to 19.86 million people, representing 25.7 per cent employment, it said.

The average monthly wage per person in Pakistan stands at Rs39,042, showing an increase of Rs15,014 over the past five years. In 2020-21, the average monthly wage was Rs24,028. Male workers earn an average of Rs39,302 per month, while female workers earn Rs37,347.

Chief Statistician Dr Nadeem Uz Zafar stated that 196 enumerators and 34 field formations participated in the survey while data for the labour force survey was collected online.

He said that Pakistan will meet three IMF conditions by December 2025, livestock survey results have been released, and the household income survey will be published next month.