Saudi Arabia, UAE top destinations for Pakistanis wanting to relocate abroad — survey

Motorists drive alongside the Riyadh Metro tracks on a road in Riyadh on December 3, 2024. (AFP/File)

• Ipsos survey says Saudi Arabia (30%), UAE (20%) top list of destinations where Pakistanis wish to relocate
• Most Pakistanis wanting to leave are frustrated by a decline in purchasing power, limited employment opportunities

ISLAMABAD: An end-of-year survey released by market research firm Ipsos has shown that the primary destinations for Pakistanis wanting to leave the country are Saudi Arabia and the UAE, debunking the commonly held belief that young people from the South Asian nation want to migrate to Western countries.
During the year 2015, the highest number of Pakistanis, 946,571, went abroad for the purpose of employment, according to the Pakistani Bureau of Emigration. As of September this year, 525,378 Pakistanis had moved for jobs abroad, while over 800,000 Pakistanis left the country of 220 million to take up jobs in 2022. This was up from a pre-pandemic total of 625,876 in 2019, and 382,439 the year before that.
Most Pakistanis wanting to leave the country are believed to be frustrated by a decline in purchasing power and limited opportunities to improve their standard of living.
“Among those who express a desire to relocate, the primary destinations are economically stable countries in close proximity to Pakistan, with Saudi Arabia (30%) and the UAE (20%) topping the list, nullifying the commonly believed myth of youth’s interest toward Western countries,” the survey report said. 
It also said an “acute majority” of young Pakistanis, 74%, desired to stay in Pakistan, while a privileged 
youth segment — which comprised people in the ages of 18-24 age in upper socio-economic classes living in the federal capital of Islamabad — had a greater inclination toward leaving Pakistan.
“The trend reveals that Pakistani youth (74%) are committed to their country and are NOT inclined to leave,” the Ipsos survey data showed.
“A couple of years back, Oct 2022 saw a 32% consider leaving, this number plummeted to 23% by February 2024 amidst pre-election hope indicating stability toward the end of 2024.”
Amid a prolonged economic crisis in recent years, Pakistani officials have expressed increasing worries about the snowballing brain drain that could hamper the country’s eventual recovery.
“The huge exodus of educated youth is of great concern,” Ahsan Iqbal, minister for planning, development and special initiatives, told reporters earlier this year.
“It is our responsibility to provide them an enabling environment to stem the emigration.” 
The government has launched several development initiatives which it hopes will help retain talent, he added. 
They include establishing 200,000 paid internships for young engineers, a 10-billion-rupee ($37.35 million) innovation fund and a 40-billion-rupee program to develop 20 poor districts.