A big drop in people from Pakistan going to work is causing worry about how much money the country will get from abroad. Many experts are saying that if this keeps up it could hurt one of Pakistans ways of getting foreign exchange.
According to the numbers from Overseas Employment Promoters, the number of Pakistanis getting work visas to go abroad has gone down by 20% compared to the same time last year.
The numbers show that 317,000 Pakistanis went abroad on work visas from January to June 2026. In the time in 2025 381,240 Pakistanis had left Pakistan for work.
Experts think that at this rate it will be hard for the government to reach its goal of sending 800,000 Pakistanis for work by December 2026.
Pakistanis going abroad for work is a deal for the country and a slowdown, in this area could have problems for Pakistans economy and Pakistanis may face difficulties finding jobs abroad.
Remittance Targets Likely to Face Pressure
The slowdown is a worry because people from Pakistan who work in other countries are the main reason Pakistan gets money from other places and this money is very important for Pakistan.
Many people from Pakistan go to places like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and other countries in the Gulf area to work. These countries are where most people from Pakistan go to work. They send a lot of money back to Pakistan.
Some people who know a lot about this are saying that if fewer people from Pakistan can get jobs, in countries it will be harder for Pakistan to get the amount of money it wants from people working in other countries this year. Pakistan needs money from people working in countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to help its economy.
Experts Cite Policies and Rising Costs as Key Factors
Overseas Employment Promoters say that there are reasons why people do not want to work outside of Pakistan. The New Tech Testing System is one of the problems.
It is expensive to use this system. That is a big issue for people who want to work abroad. Employment promoters think that the government is making some decisions.
These decisions are hurting job opportunities for Pakistanis who want to work in the Middle East. Many people who want to work are having trouble with the New Tech Testing System.
This system is hard to understand. It is even harder for people who are not good with computers. To work abroad people now have to pay a lot of money.
They have to pay between Rs100,000 to Rs150,000 for things like tests, medical checks and getting their papers ready. People, in the industry are asking the government to make it cheaper for people to work abroad.
They want the government to reduce the costs so that more people can afford to work of Pakistan.
Remittances Hit Record High Despite Employment Slowdown
Despite a drop in jobs abroad Pakistanis living overseas sent a record 41.5 billion dollars in remittances during the 2025-26 financial year.
Remittances are money sent home by people working in other countries. The government wants to get more remittances. For the 2026-27 year they set a target of 44 billion dollars.
Experts are worried. They say that if Pakistanis do not start getting jobs abroad again it will be hard to reach that target.
Pakistanis working overseas are crucial, for remittances. The number of Pakistanis getting jobs needs to go up.
