Migration Trends 2023: 450,000 Pakistanis Seek Opportunities Abroad for Employment

More than 450,000 Pakistanis departed their country in the first seven months of 2023 in search of better work prospects abroad.

In the first seven months of the current calendar year, or up until July, 450,110 Pakistanis were registered for foreign employment, according to data received from the Bureau of Emigration & Foreign Employment.

According to the statistics, 96,466 of those who left the country during the time period under consideration were drivers, while 192,188 of those who went were laborers. 4,705 engineers, 4,431 accountants, 1,925 doctors, and 764 teachers were also among those who emigrated.

According to the bureau’s occupational group-by-group breakdown, out of those who left, 12,787 were highly qualified and 26,405 were highly competent.

Of the total, 34,140 workers left Pakistan for Oman, 205,515 moved to Saudi Arabia, 121,745 to the United Arab Emirates, and 35,637 to Qatar. Bahrain (7,441), Greece (2,565), Romania (3,275), Iraq (2,119), Malaysia (16,166), and Bahrain are some of the other significant nations on the list.

The data from the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment only applies to those who have registered with the Bureau, it is important to note at this point. This list does not include those who relocate abroad for academic study or by other means, such as straight immigration.

The number of Pakistanis who traveled overseas for work in 2017 was 832,339, the most since 2016.