The unemployment continues to plague our nation and undermine its greatest asset: its youth
Eman Fatima | Rawalpindi
I want to draw the attention of our policymakers to the escalating crisis of unemployment, which continues to plague our nation and undermine its greatest asset: its youth. What often appears as a simple economic statistic is, in reality, a deeply rooted socio-economic fault line that fuels frustration, hinders development, and threatens social stability.
The core problem stems from a devastating combination of factors. The most pressing is the skill-market mismatch. Our traditional education system, designed decades ago, is failing to equip millions of graduates with the digital, technical, and analytical skills demanded by the modern global economy. We are producing a surplus of degree-holders for sectors that are either saturated or obsolete, while industries like IT, e-commerce, and advanced manufacturing struggle to find qualified talent. This failure is compounded by sluggish economic growth and low domestic investment, both casualties of political instability and persistent challenges like the energy crisis, which cripples industrial productivity. Without consistent power and a stable policy environment, businesses cannot expand, and thus, cannot absorb the millions of new entrants into the workforce each year.
The consequences of this job drought are severe. A vast and growing youth bulge—a demographic dividend that should be our greatest strength—is rapidly becoming a liability. Young graduates are forced into underemployment, low-wage jobs, or are driven to seek opportunities abroad, leading to a significant brain drain. This cycle deepens poverty and inequality, making it impossible for families to improve their lot.
To transition from crisis management to sustainable growth, a clear and decisive strategy is mandatory.
First, we must prioritize a radical educational overhaul. This means aggressively promoting Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and integrating modern, market-relevant subjects like coding, data analytics, and high-tech agricultural methods into mainstream curricula. Our universities must become hubs of innovation, not just degree factories.
Second, the government must champion the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. SMEs are the engine of job creation worldwide. We must provide them with easier access to affordable credit, tax incentives, and simplified regulatory processes to encourage rapid expansion.
Finally, achieving economic stability is paramount. This requires resolving the chronic energy shortfall and ensuring policy consistency to restore investor confidence. Targeted investment in digital infrastructure and IT exports holds the key to creating high-value jobs quickly and leveraging our youthful population.
Unemployment is not just a problem for the jobless; it is a collective failure that affects all of us. By addressing the root causes through targeted educational, infrastructural, and economic reforms, we can transform our demographic challenge into a true dividend. I urge the government and relevant ministries to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.
Read: Unemployment Fuels Social, Political Turmoil
___________________
Eman Fatima is a Rawalpindi-based law student
