Pakistan

Pakistan Representative:

Muhammad Basit Rana

Founder of HR WALAY
Karachi, Pakistan
Pakistan@AsiaPacificCDA.org

November 2024 Pakistan Country Report

Navigating the Evolving Job Landscape in Pakistan: Key Insights for November 2024 

 

Introduction:

 

  • Overview: This report provides an updated comparative analysis of Pakistan’s job market trends from August 2023 to November 2024.
  • Objective: To highlight key economic and labor market developments, challenges, and opportunities as observed from authoritative sources, including the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
  • Source References:

Economic Growth Trends

 

  • August 2023 Data: The GDP growth rate for FY 2023-24 was estimated at 2.38%, with notable upward revisions for earlier quarters (Q1: 2.71%, Q2: 1.79%).
  • November 2024 Update: The GDP growth rate has been revised to 2.09%, reflecting a modest recovery trend.
  • Analysis: Economic stability remains delicate, requiring strategic policies to sustain and improve growth rates.
  • Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)

 

Labor Market Insights

 

  • Labor Force Participation: Steady at 57%, with unemployment at 5%. Youth and female unemployment remain disproportionately high.
  • Youth and Female Challenges: Persistent barriers hinder job accessibility for these groups, necessitating continued interventions.
  • Analysis: Structural labor reforms are crucial to address demographic-specific challenges.
  • Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)



Skill Mismatch

 

  • Ongoing Issue: The gap between graduates’ skills and market demands persists, especially in tech and service sectors.
  • Opportunities: Need for extensive reskilling and upskilling programs tailored to evolving economic sectors.
  • Analysis: Bridging this gap is vital for improving overall employability and economic competitiveness.
  • Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)

 

Demographic Pressure

 

  • Population Growth: The latest figures show a population of 241.49 million, with a high annual growth rate of 2.55%.
  • Youth Demographic: Approximately 62.58 million individuals aged 15-29 present both opportunities for growth and significant employment challenges.
  • Analysis: Effective strategies for labor market integration are critical to harnessing this demographic dividend.

Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)

Opportunities and Challenges

 

  • Technological Advancements: Growth in digital platforms calls for tech-savvy talent, emphasizing the need for reskilling initiatives.
  • Government Initiatives: Policies are focused on job creation in technology and services, yet implementation gaps remain.
  • Gender Equality in Employment: Efforts continue to increase female labor force participation, yet challenges persist.
  • Analysis: Sustainable impact requires strategic collaboration between public and private sectors.
  • Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)

 

Career and Human Skills Development

 

  • Emerging Opportunities:
    • Career Counseling: High demand in educational institutions for professional guidance.
    • TVET Expansion: Government’s investment in vocational training to enhance youth employability.
    • Digital Education: Growth of online learning platforms and micro-credentials.
    • Entrepreneurship Support: Programs like National Incubation Centers facilitate startups.
  • Corporate Training Needs: Demand for customized training in rapidly transforming industries.
  • Analysis: Collaboration with government and NGOs can amplify outreach and effectiveness.
  • Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)

 

Conclusion and Way Forward

 

  • Summary: Pakistan’s job market remains complex, with opportunities for growth and areas requiring urgent attention, including unemployment, skill mismatches, and gender disparities.
  • Strategic Focus: Emphasis on education, technology, and targeted government policies.
  • Call to Action: Continued investment in human capital development and structural reforms to drive sustainable economic growth.
  • Acknowledgments: Appreciation to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and other bodies for their comprehensive data.

Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (pbs.gov.pk)

August 2024 Pakistan Country Report

Navigating the Evolving Job Landscape in Pakistan: Key Statistics for 2024

 

Current Themes/Resources in Career

 

The job market in Pakistan as of June 2024 reflects a complex landscape shaped by economic conditions, demographic trends, and educational factors. Here are the updated highlights based on data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and other relevant sources.

 

Current Job Market Trends

 

  1. Economic Growth: The provisional growth rate of Pakistan’s GDP for the fiscal year 2023-24 is estimated at 2.38%, showing a slight recovery compared to the previous fiscal year, which experienced negative growth of -0.21%. The economy has shown upward revisions in earlier quarters, with growth rates of 2.71% and 1.79% for Q1 and Q2 respectively. [1] [2]
  2. Labor Force Participation: The labor force participation rate remains around 57%, with approximately 5.6 million individuals unemployed. The unemployment rate is reported at 5%, but youth and female unemployment rates are significantly higher, indicating persistent challenges in job accessibility for these demographics. [2] [5]
  3. Skill Mismatch: A critical issue in the job market is the mismatch between the skills of job seekers and the requirements of employers. Despite a growing number of graduates, many lack the technical skills needed in sectors such as technology and services, which are increasingly important for economic growth. [2]



Demographic Insights

 

  1. Population Growth: The latest census indicates that Pakistan’s population has reached 241.49 million, with a growth rate of 2.55%. This high growth rate poses challenges for job creation and resource distribution, necessitating effective strategies for economic management and labor market integration. [5]
  2. Youth Demographics: A significant portion of the population, approximately 62.58 million, falls within the age bracket of 15 to 29 years. This youth bulge presents both an opportunity for economic growth and a challenge in terms of providing adequate employment and training. [5]
  3. Literacy and Education: Literacy rates stand at 61% for individuals aged ten and above, highlighting a need for improved educational outcomes. Enhancing education quality and accessibility is crucial for equipping the youth with the skills required in a modern economy. [5]

 

Opportunities and Challenges

 

  1. Technological Advancements: The rise of digital platforms and the demand for tech-savvy workers present opportunities for job creation. However, there is a pressing need for reskilling and upskilling programs to prepare the workforce for these changes. [2]
  2. Government Initiatives: The government is focusing on policies to enhance job creation, particularly in the technology and services sectors. Collaborations with private sectors and educational institutions are essential to align training programs with market needs. [2]
  3. Female Participation: Increasing female labor force participation is critical. Current initiatives aim to address barriers to women’s employment, promoting gender equality in the workplace. [2]



In summary, while Pakistan’s job market faces significant challenges, particularly regarding unemployment, skill mismatches, and demographic pressures, there are also substantial opportunities for growth through strategic investments in education, technology, and targeted government policies.

Opportunities in Career and Human Skills Development

 

The career and human skills development sector in Pakistan is evolving, offering a range of opportunities for service providers. Here are the key working opportunities available in this field as of June 2024:

 

  1. Career Counseling Services: There is a growing demand for professional career counselors in educational institutions, including schools and universities. These counselors provide guidance to students on career choices, job market trends, and skill development. Institutions like HR WALAY, an HR Family, are already providing such services to address career queries. 
  2. Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET): The government is investing in the TVET sector to enhance employability skills among youth. Providers can engage in developing competency-based training programs that align with industry needs, focusing on sectors like technology, manufacturing, and services.
  3. Online Learning Platforms: With the rise of digital education, there is an opportunity for service providers to create or collaborate with online platforms offering courses and micro-credentials. Institutions like the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) are already developing online courses that cater to emerging job markets.
  4. Entrepreneurship Programs: The promotion of entrepreneurship is a key focus area, with initiatives like the National Incubation Centers supporting startups. Service providers can offer training and mentorship programs for aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them develop business plans and navigate the startup ecosystem.
  5. Workshops and Seminars: Organizing workshops on employability skills, resume building, interview techniques, and soft skills development is an effective way to enhance job readiness among youth. These can be conducted in collaboration with educational institutions or community organizations.
  6. Research and Development: There is a growing need for research in career guidance and skills development. Providers can engage in research projects that assess the effectiveness of current educational programs and identify gaps in the labor market.
  7. Corporate Training Programs: Many organizations are seeking to upskill their employees. Service providers can develop tailored training programs that focus on specific skills required by companies, particularly in sectors undergoing digital transformation.
  8. Government and NGO Collaborations: Collaborating with government initiatives and non-governmental organizations can provide additional resources and outreach for career development programs. This includes participating in job fairs, expos, and community outreach programs aimed at promoting career awareness.
  9. International Development Projects: There are numerous international development jobs available, particularly in areas related to education, skills development, and employment generation. Service providers can partner with international organizations to implement projects that enhance skills training and employment opportunities.

 

In summary, the career and human skills development sector in Pakistan is ripe with opportunities for service providers. By focusing on career counseling, vocational training, online education, entrepreneurship, and corporate training, providers can play a crucial role in enhancing employability and addressing the skills gap in the labor market.





Reference and source(s): 

 

[1] https://www.pbs.gov.pk/ 

[2] https://www.pbs.gov.pk/node/1294 

[3] https://www.pbs.gov.pk/publications 

[4] https://www.sbp.org.pk/ecodata/index2.asp 

[5] https://moib.gov.pk/News/62983

[6] https://asiapacificcda.org/pakistan-information/

February 2024 Pakistan Country Report

The emergent issues reported in the October report prevail as students and young people are looking for study and work destinations abroad due to a number of reasons such as hyper inflation and unemployment. There is also a rise in career-related initiatives, start-ups, and use of AI in career guidance.

A few organizations are contributing to career guidance. To name a few amongst them, National University of Sciences and Technology (Islamabad) is preparing career counsellors through masters program. Eduvision is also promoting career counselling. Similarly, Coaching and Training Pakistan Foundation (CTPF) has conducted a numerous career awareness session for girls in Government Colleges in Haripur, KPK, and effectively engaged over 600 students. Federal Ministry of education is also taking interest to promote career services in schools and colleges. In addition to this. career fairs in different provinces of Pakistan have been observed this year.

Pakistan_FEB2024

Career counseling and placement services are already required in the higher education and more universities are now starting or streamlining with the career counseling centers. The service also exists in private schools especially in the metropolitan areas. However, the service is still patchy and inconsistent because it is not offered at the national level and does not reach to people with all ages and diverse career development needs. Existing studies, reports, and newspaper articles call for attention in this area. This quarter report focuses on support from international organizations to

  1. Conduct national level studies on career development.
  2. Provide budgetary support and funding for national level study.
  3. Support training and credential of career guidance professionals.
  4. Support national employability services for all age groups so that we can focus on career guidance for life-long development.

 

October 2023 Pakistan Country Report

Emergent issues:

Employment issues and inflation serve as pull factors for many people to move abroad. This has increased immigration services, foreign education services, and a focus on foreign education. However, in many cases the affluent or people with low skill benefit. “More than 450,000 Pakistanis have left their country in search of better job opportunities overseas in the first half of 2023, according to official data.” Also, Saudi Arabia emerges as main destination with 205,515 choosing kingdom, followed by UAE (Gulf News). This calls for employment services and support. Trends to immigrate, move abroad for better salary, and study abroad have been on the rise.

Start-up support programs seem to increase. There is also an increased focus on trainings for youngsters. Training such as idea validation to support start-up ideas and entrepreneurship by a lead social entrepreneur was an interesting initiative.

There is an increased focus on improving systems. A training organized for education managers by the Ministry of Education (Federal) is an example.

Career support and empowerment through community works by the non-government organizations are observed. For-example, Helping Hand for Relief & Development (HHRD) joined hands with the Coaching & Training Pakistan Foundation (CTPF) to embark on an ambitious mission: conducting career planning sessions across 21 diverse districts of Pakistan. These sessions were meticulously crafted to cater to the unique needs of orphaned students hailing from rural areas, where educational resources are often scarce.

Curriculum change at undergraduate level through the policy support now focuses upon community support learning and through this young people will learn volunteering and they are now involved in volunteering to create career awareness in the unprivileged communities.

Training on the use of AI for various purposes has been conducted with a focus on its ethical use in exploring information and resources.

A focus on creating online courses and online assessments to meet the indigenous and career development needs is observed.

Career information and employment skills is focused through the single national curriculum which is a good initiate by the government (https://css-pms.com/single-national-curriculum

July 2023 Pakistan Country Report

Current Developments

Career guidance initiatives already exist in many private schools and most of the universities of Pakistan. Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) system also exists. However, the ecosystem for TVET requires improvements in competency-based education, in terms of expert faculty members, and provision of funding.

Despite limitations, there is a remarkable growth in taking initiatives within the area of career development. A brief information about the emergent trends and initiatives indicate positive developments in this area are given below;

  • The focus on employability skills is increasing. There is an increased focus on enhancing skills of young people according to the labor market needs. For example, the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) is focusing on developing online micro credentials in social sciences and engineering to support employability skills of young people.
  • There is an increased focus on teaching entrepreneur and social entrepreneur courses at undergraduate level.
  • There is an increased focus on STEAM education and STEAM careers and such initiatives are being taken by the Government of Pakistan

https://www.steampakistan.com/

  • There is an increased focus on viewing career guidance and development through the lens of SDGs.
  • Jobs in career counseling are increasing, especially to support higher education abroad.
  • Students from NUST were granted APCDA conference scholarship (2023) and this has contributed to their learning and development.
  • International contributions are increasing such as
  • Mr. Raza Abbas Former APCDA Country Representative of Pakistan presented at the 2023 Asia Pacific Career Development Association Hybird Conference. He presented on multiple engaging topics: Transforming Entrepreneurship Education, Do You Know the UN Global Goals? Travel Around a Rapidly Changing World with the SDGs! and Remaining Hopeful in a Rapidly Changing World- Hope-Centered Intervention.
  • Mr. Raza Abbas was elected in the recent IAEVG Elections. He is fortunate to be one of the elected International Board of Directors from Pakistan. He is grateful to the APCDA Board for his nomination. This is a 4 year-year term. Dr. Janna Kuttunen was elected as the President of IAEVG. For more details to get involved in IAEVG visit the website: www.iaevg.com.
  • A publication on Faculty Members’ Perceptions of Internationalization of Curriculum: Globalization and Localization, a Comparative Study” with a focus on curriculum embedded in employability skills and lobal citizenship by Dr. Gulnaz Zahid is accepted for publishing in an international journal.
     

Challenges

  1. Sustainable approaches to career guidance are needed.
  2. A focus on career development support thought out the life is missing though providing professional employability service.
  3. Mentoring and supervision programs for young career counselors are needed.
  4. Career guidance association is needed.
  5. A large-scale career guidance program for the unprivileged is important.
  6. Legislative interventions are required to strengthen the system-based approaches.

January 2023 Pakistan Country Report COVID, education and career guidance

The overall educational and career guidance activities remained undisrupted despite the new COVID wave. No lockdown was imposed during the last quarter of year 2022 and a number of career guidance activities in face-to-face mode took place in Pakistan.

COVID

Analysis of different sources of information shows that career guidance for young people and early and late adults who are in employment deserves a focus. Large portions of the population are below 15 or between 15-64.

Pakistan Labor Market Information

Analysis of different sources of information shows that career guidance for young people and early and late adults who are in employment deserves a focus. Large portions of the population are below 15 or between 15-64.

The unemployment trends are increasing, and assessment of labor market information shows that career guidance for agriculture, service and industrial sectors deserves the attention of the practitioners.

(https://countrymeters.info/en/Pakistan)

Career Education and Training in the Aftermath of COVID-19: Challenges and Prospects, a regional event of Global Careers Month in Southeast Asia was organized by the National Youth Policy Institute and the Asian Regional Association for Career Development on Monday, November 28, 2022.

As the regional partners representing Southeast Asia, the National Youth Policy Institute and the Asian Regional Association for Career Development invited renowned career development experts from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, and India, online, where they discussed the challenges, practices, and initiatives of Asian countries in enabling and promoting career-related education and training for young people and adults in the aftermath of COVID-19. Mr. Abbas was invited to present a country report from Pakistan.

Mr. Raza Abbas (Vice President, Hope Institute)’s presentation titled “Country Report – Pakistan” made a significant contribution to the event by providing an insight into Pakistan’s career-related education and training for young people and adults in the aftermath of COVID-19. The holistic report had multiple contributors from Pakistan including: Dr. Gulnaz Zahid, Assistant Professor- NUST School of Social Science and Humanities and graduate students of NUST- Pakistan’s first career counseling degree program university.

As part of Global Careers Month, Mr. Abbas initiated, developed, and designed an interactive social media career awareness campaign on his Linkedin profile: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/razaabbas14/
The following were the key advocacy messages that Mr. Abbas shared during Global Careers Month. ‘Career Development is the change we wish to see in the world’ ‘Let’s make the world better through championing career development in a world that sorely need more of it’ ‘In universities and vocational institutes, career development is a rising need for students so it is vital to incorporate it as a required course’ ‘As a career sector we are united to collectively advocate and take action for a UN Careers & Livelihood Day in collaboration with multi-stakeholders around the globe’ ‘Greater collective synergy, cooperation and co-creation are the need of the hour’ ‘I practice and advocate the notion that career development is a civic right for people from around the globe’ ‘The role of social media and electronic media is key in educating and enlightening both citizens and policymakers about the increasing significance of career development to societies at large and how it contributes to employability, well-being, and job-creation’ ‘Career development interventions must start early in schools to ensure they have a sustainable impact, and they must be integrated into the school curriculum’ During global careers month to inspire and engage the global careers sector on Linkedin, Mr. Abbas shared videos from his youtube channel popular & impactful series: ‘‘Maximizing Careers Guidance & Development’ inspiring interviews of leading and eminent career influencers from around the globe:
 Online and freelance works: As a result of increased digitalization and online works during the COVID lockdown, there is an increased focus on free lancing and online works.

Unemployment trends

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/JfCWbDrwqIni7ETe…PFDFR8EKL61XIIiLGQhizSNGDQdEV-2a4zTJKsb4D6yVactZQ

Labor market assessment

Status of Career Guidance and Contributions

  •  National Level Contributions
The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in collaboration with British Council and University of Warwick, launched post graduate program on MS Career Counseling and Education in 2013. This is a pioneer program in Pakistan that has trained students who are currently serving as career counselors in different educational institutes. The program is playing a key role in connecting theory with practice. Further information can be accessed from
https://s3h.nust.edu.pk/program/ms-career-counselling-education

The program is expanding through advocacy, research, and offering career education trainings in this area other than contributing to educating young professionals. Currently, the students in this program are exploring context specific career issues through taking quantitative, qualitative and intervention studies.

The studies so far supervised under this program aimed at exploring pressing issues in this field. Topics such as career adaptability challenges during the unemployment phase, social justice practice of career counselors, beliefs and attitudes of pre-service trainee teachers towards careers education, career-decision-making intervention provide insight to the contextual issues. Such studies conducted under the program contribute to understanding contextual issues and challenges career development and guidance.

  • Global Advocacy Contributions

Mr. Raza Abbas, Global: Career Practitioner and Careers Advocate actively contributed from Pakistan in the recent concluded 1st Global Careers Month from (8 November-13 December) organized by the Inter-Agency Career Guidance Working Group, composed of CEDEFOP, the European Commission, the European Training Foundation (ETF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), UNESCO .

For APCDA members’ benefit: sharing the concluding opening and closing ceremony videos of Global Careers Month:

Opening Ceremony:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzMlr9UNWew&list=PLYK8JpvJRLjhONKktTEY4Fs2HUaE91PYP&index=10

Closing Ceremony: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGzlixmFAJo&list=PLYK8JpvJRLjhONKktTEY4Fs2HUaE91PYP&index=12

Emerging Trends in Career Guidance

Career fairs: Offering careers information and guidance through career fairs has been popular in schools and universities during the year 2022. The Federal government also initiated and offered career fairs in the year 2022. The trend will prevail in the year 2023 and this indicates increased awareness about the significance of career information for young people. Some of the highlights of career fairs can be accessed through the links given below

Trainings:

There is an increased trend in the capacity building of career counselors through training and workshops. Some of the examples can be viewed from the given links

August 2022 Pakistan Country Report

Background and Challenges:

Pakistan is a South Asian country with career guidance in an emerging state. The current population of Pakistan is 228,681,556 based on projections of the latest United Nations data
https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/pakistan-population
nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29 (youth group). It is estimated that “Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children where an estimated 22.8 million children between 5 to 16 years of age are not attending school representing 44pc of the total population in this age group.”
(https://nation.com.pk/2022/03/07/22-8m-children-between-5-16-years-of-age-not-attending-school-in-pakistan/).
The existing issues and challenges call for cultural specific, innovative and creative approaches to career guidance. There is a need to take large scale and systemic approaches to career guidance and assess how such approaches contributes to improving SDG goals. Strategic interventions, assessments and evaluations are the areas that call for close attention. “Pakistan affirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its own national development agenda through a unanimous National Assembly Resolution in 2016. Since then, the country has made considerable progress by mainstreaming these goals in national policies and strategies and developing an institutional framework for SDGs implementation in Pakistan…Localized provincial SDG Frameworks are being formulated. The focus of the government is on mainstreaming SDGs in planning processes, ensuring strong monitoring and reporting on SDGs, ensuring public financial allocations are aligned to SDGs and alternate financing modalities are being explored, and to benefit from use of technology to accelerate progress towards SDGs.” https://pakistan.un.org/en/sdgs
National Incubation Centres: The Government of Pakistan is promoting entrepreneurship as a viable career option. National Incubation Centers have opened in major cities of Pakistan: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore. 13. Career guidance is growing in the private schools, however a systematic effort to provide career guidance all the schools is still needed. 14. The focus on Technical and Vocational Education has increased
In addition, the progress made towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals call our attention. The moderate improvements on various indicators reflects that overall development still needs to be given greater attention as it directly or indirectly influence career and vocational development of all. “Despite the Covid-19 global pushback, Pakistan’s SDG Global Rank is 129 (out of 193) in 2021, improved by five ranks, 134 (out of 166) in 2020…Despite the overall improvement in the score, in terms of trends for Goals’ achievement, Pakistan’s performance is only on track against Goal 13 (Climate Action). All other goals’ progress is either moderately improving or stagnating and worsening in the case of Goal 15 (Life on Land).”
Initiatives in career guidance: Despite of a number of challenges, career guidance works are growing in Pakistan.
  1. The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in collaboration with British Council and University of Warwick, launched post graduate program on MS Career Counseling and Education in 2013. This is a pioneer program in Pakistan that has trained students who are currently serving as career counselors in different educational institutes. The program is playing a key role in connecting theory with practice. Further information can be accessed from
https://s3h.nust.edu.pk/program/ms-career-counselling-education
A training was conducted on careers and character education conducted for private school teachers and career counsellors by NUST. NUST organized second international conference International Conference in 2022 on Well-being: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (ICW-22) and a number of national and international researchers focused on works related career and wellbeing. Federal Government Pakistan organized first ever career expo recently in the year 2022 and invited a number of organizations working across Pakistan to provide information about educational pathways and careers information to the youth. Research on role of culture in educating career guidance practitioners from Pakistan and UK is a contribution to understanding cultural phenomena to career guidance training approaches.
Mr. Raza Abbas presented at the APCDA/IAEVG 2022 International conference on the following two topics: Accelerating Your Career as a Young Career Professional- Individual Presentation Calling on the United Nations for an International Day of Careers & Livelihood- Group Presentation Both Presentations were engaging and inspired the global audiences. Raza also presented at the International Conference- 2022- Career Development- Be Bold Be Brave hosted by DMH Associates Limited in the UK. Raza presented on Adult Guidance and shared APCDA’s important role in Adult Guidance in the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Raza recently participated at the International Conference: Career guidance and counseling for employed persons in companies – new impulses for theory and practice which was hybrid and locally in Mannheim, Germany. Career counseling and job placement support launched under Pakistan Technical and Vocational Education & Training Reform.

May 2022 Pakistan Country Report

Background and Challenges:

Pakistan is a South Asian country with career guidance in an emerging state. The current population of Pakistan is 228,681,556 based on projections of the latest United Nations data

https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/pakistan-population
Currently, 64 percent of the nation is younger than 30 and 29 percent of Pakistanis are between 15 and 29 (youth group).
It is estimated that “Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of out-of-school children where an estimated 22.8 million children between 5 to 16 years of age are not attending school representing 44pc of the total population in this age group.”
(https://nation.com.pk/2022/03/07/22-8m-children-between-5-16-years-of-age-not-attending-school-in-pakistan/).
This puts the career development of many at risk. The existing issues and challenges call for cultural specific, innovative and creative approaches to career guidance along with meeting the rights of all such as education for all (UN CRC Article 28 & Article 29) quality education for all. “Pakistan affirmed its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its own national development agenda through a unanimous National Assembly Resolution in 2016. Since then, the country has made considerable progress by mainstreaming these goals in national policies and strategies and developing an institutional framework for SDGs implementation in Pakistan…Localized provincial SDG Frameworks are being formulated. The focus of the government is on mainstreaming SDGs in planning processes, ensuring strong monitoring and reporting on SDGs, ensuring public financial allocations are aligned to SDGs and alternate financing modalities are being explored, and to benefit from use of technology to accelerate progress towards SDGs.”
https://pakistan.un.org/en/sdgs.
In addition, the progress made towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals calls our attention. The moderate improvements on various indicators reflects that overall development still needs to be given greater attention as it directly or indirectly influences career and vocational development of all. “Despite the Covid-19 global pushback, Pakistan’s SDG Global Rank is 129 (out of 193) in 2021, improved by five ranks, 134 (out of 166) in 2020…Despite the overall improvement in the score, in terms of trends for Goals’ achievement, Pakistan’s performance is only on track against Goal 13 (Climate Action). All other goals’ progress is either moderately improving or stagnating and worsening in the case of Goal 15 (Life on Land).”
Initiatives in career guidance: Despite a number of challenges, career guidance works are growing in Pakistan. The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in collaboration with the British Council and University of Warwick, launched a post graduate program on MS Career Counseling and Education in 2013. This is a pioneer program in Pakistan that has trained students who are currently serving as career counselors in different educational institutes. The program is playing a key role in connecting theory with practice. Further information can be accessed from
https://s3h.nust.edu.pk/program/ms-career-counselling-education
  2. NUST organized the second international conference International Conference in 2022 on Well-being: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (ICW-22) and a number of national and international researchers focused on works related career and wellbeing.
  3. NUST has recently received a project approved from the Higher Education Commission to test the usefulness of Holland’s theory for assessment in career counselling.
  4. The Federal Government Pakistan organized the first ever career expo recently in the year 2022 and invited a number of organizations working across Pakistan to provide information about educational pathways and careers information to the youth.
  5. Research in career guidance has grown
(https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03069885.2019.1576030)

along with that works in career guidance experts from Pakistan are now contributing at the international level. Mr. Raza Abbas – Inaugural APCDA Country Representative of Pakistan and APCDA Lifetime member recently successfully presented at the international career conferences. Mr. Raza Abbas will be presenting in the upcoming IAEVG/APCDA Virtual International Conference. He invites the APCDA community to attend his presentations, one is a team presentation while the second one is individual. He recently hosted career guidance for social justice webinar on 11 March, 2022.

Career counseling and job placement support launched under Pakistan Technical and Vocational Education & Training Reform.

https://hec.gov.pk/english/services/universities/ORICs/Documents/ORIC%20

Punjab Higher Education Commission supports career counseling centers in universities and colleges 

https://punjabhec.gov.pk/career-counseling-centers/
  • National Incubation Centres: The Government of Pakistan is promoting entrepreneurship as a viable career option. National Incubation Centers have opened in major cities of Pakistan: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore.Career guidance is growing in the private schools, however a systematic effort to provide career guidance in all the schools is still needed.

Status of Career Guidance in Pakistan December 2021

By Dr. Gulnaz Zahid

Theory and practice development

The National University of Sciences and Technology in collaboration with British Council and University of Warwick, launched post graduate program on MS Career Counseling and Education in 2013. This is a pioneer program in Pakistan that has trained students who are currently serving as career counselors in different educational institutes. The Department of Behavioral Sciences at NUST ensures that students in this program learn about career counseling and education by contextualizing theoretical perspectives and gain skills through experiential learning.  The program is playing a key role in connecting theory with practice. Further information can be accessed from

https://s3h.nust.edu.pk/program/ms-career-counselling-education

Research developments

Research in career guidance works is growing in Pakistan. This includes publishing works in world leading journals. An example of this can be viewed

Research by Mr. Raza Abbas Parental Career Guidance Instilling Hope in Educators and Youth Government initiatives Career counseling and job placement support launched under Pakistan Technical and Vocational Education & Training Reform.
https://tvetreform.org.pk/career-counselling-and-job-placement/
Higher Education Commission (Pakistan) through ORICs (Office of Research, Innovation, & Commercialization) promotes entrepreneurship in graduates of higher education
https://hec.gov.pk/english/services/universities/ORICs/Documents/ORIC%20Polic
Punjab Higher Education Commission supports career counseling centers in universities and colleges
https://punjabhec.gov.pk/career-counseling-centers/
National Incubation Centres: The Government of Pakistan is promoting entrepreneurship as a viable career option. National Incubation Centers have opened in major cities of Pakistan: Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore. Here is the link for more information.
All the presentations were well acknowledged and appreciated by the distinguished participants of the international conferences. APCDA members that are interested in the presentations can email Mr. Raza Abbas at razaabbas.hr@gmail.com and schedule a career conversation.
Advocating for and maximizing the potential of career development – Career guidance for social justice (wordpress.com)
https://nation.com.pk/24-Feb-2021/the-trend-of-making-career-choices
Recent non-government initiatives Such initiatives include private companies such as Coaching & Training Pakistan Foundation (CTPF), EduVision, Merafuture and Pathway Global Career Institute Online works This includes Online Apps such as Career Guidance PK and websites such as Talib.pk Advocacy Increased advocacy to promote career counseling in Pakistan
Home – National Incubation Center (nicpakistan.pk)
International Representation of Pakistan at Premier Career Conferences
    • Mr. Raza Abbas – Inaugural APCDA Country Representative of Pakistan and APCDA Lifetime member recently successfully presented at the following international career conferences:
    • IAEVG- International Online Conference- Riga, Lativa, October, 2021
Understanding Hope & Hopelessness, Theory, Assessments and Interventions in Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity- VUCA times
  • Igniting collective advocacy for careers work- Maximizing Career Guidance
  • OECD International Online Conference-France, October, 2021
  • Fostering Innovative Career Thinking with Parents & Students in Pakistan
  • Manitoba Career Development Association-Online Conference, Canada, November, 2021
  • <style=”text-align: var(–bs-body-text-align);”>Understanding Hope & Hopelessness, Theory, Assessments and Interventions in Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity- VUCA times
 

February 2021 Pakistan Country Report

by Raza Abbas
Covid-19 Situation

Confirmed Cases in Pakistan: 554,474- Fortunately majority have recovered
Educational institutions have re-opened and classes are going on in hybrid model
Economy has been greatly effected by the pandemic and inflation is on the rise
Career Education Status

Entrepreneurship continues to increase, record registrations for new start-ups have been received by Government
Government is providing loans to aspiring entrepreneurs under the age of 45 in the country
Digital Transformation has now been swiftly adapted by various institutions and digital initiatives are in practice
Due to Covid, Digital footprints and digital initiatives are increasing in Pakistan which is a positive
Collective Initiatives

Have initiated a new digital initiative for my Official Youtube Channel: Maximizing Career Guidance & Development-
This is a global series of interviewing leading career influencers from around the globe
This is the link to the 1st conversation kindly subscribe to remain connected
10 Conversations have been released so far:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFvujWp7C78&t=216s-

October 2020 Pakistan Country Report

by Raza Abbas
Covid-19 Situation:
  • Confirmed Cases in Pakistan: 330,200- Fortunately majority have recovered
  • Educational institutions have finally re-opened and classes are going on in hybrid model
  • Recently 2nd wave of Covid has started in Pakistan lets remain hopeful that we get through this
  • Economy has been greatly effected by the pandemic
Career Education Status
  • Educational Institutions are having frequent career talks for students and staff which is a positive
  • Entrepreneurship is rising and record registrations for new start-ups have been received by Government
  • Digital Transformation has now been swiftly adapted by various institutions and digital initiatives are in practice
  • Due to Covid, Digital footprints and digital initiatives are increasing in Pakistan which is a positive
Collective Initiatives
  • Initiating Digital Career Awareness Month from 1st November on social media this is the 1st time this is happening
  • A Career Word of the Day will be shared on Linkedin and Facebook – Referencing APCDA Glossary of Career Development Terms
  • Have initiated a new digital initiative for my Official Youtube Channel: Maximizing Career Guidance & Development
  • This is a global series of interviewing leading career influencers- This is the link to the 1st conversation kindly subscribe to remain connected

September Country report

 by Raza Abbas
  • Planning to form a national career consortium where keen stakeholders come together and have regular discussion on career development; stake-holders include: Students-Youth Parliament, Teachers Professional Association, Parents Association, Educators Association from public and private educational institutes, Employers, Media representatives and state officials of the country from the Education and Youth Ministries.
  • Media is a game changer to advocate the message we are planning to have programs on prime-time television and radio so awareness of career education increases.
  • Currently in practice training teachers on becoming career practitioners in the country. An evidence based program of 40 hours in practice, it is scale-able and is being customized to other countries.   

UN Recognizes Peace-ful and Inclusive Career Reform in Asia

by Raza Abbas

The annual United Nations (UN) high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace was held in their New York City headquarters in April 2018. The gathering recognizes that inclusive Career Education assists with improving global economic cooperation, helps with combating global poverty and contributes to sustained peace. Career Education enables humanity to blossom and leads to social justice, sustained peace and continuous livelihood. APCDA is honored to share that Mr. Raza Abbas, our very own Pakistan Country Director, was recently selected to participate at the UN’s April meeting for his work with his social venture, Pathway Global Career Institute, which is based in Pakistan. During the New York gathering, Mr. Abbas not only learned about the best global practices for peace-building from distinguished dignitaries throughout the globe, but he also suggested the following additional ideas to strengthen peace reform:
  1. Promote peace education especially in women and youth
  2. Conduct peace building workshops and peace camps for high-school students
  3. Involve young people as partners in the sustaining peace agenda
APCDA proudly congratulates Mr. Abbas for his selection by the UN as well as his ongoing commitment to the career education profession. Mr. Abbas is the Chief Executive Officer of Pathway Global Career Institute. He serves on the Board of APCDA and ARACD and is an Editorial Board member of IAEVG. He also is the proud recipient of our 2017 APCDA Outstanding Career Practitioner Award. He can be reached at We warmly wish him ongoing success!

Inclusive Career Education Teacher Training Program

By Raza Abbas

Inclusive Career Education assists with improving global economic cooperation and helps with fighting global poverty and sources of social stress. It enables humanity to nurture across the globe and leads to social justice and harmony. The United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights considers four key principles of inclusion: the dignity of every person, the right to self-determination, the intrinsic equality of all people regardless of difference, and the ethic of social solidarity. An institutionalized Inclusive Career Education Teacher Training Program has been strategically developed to instill hope and meet the challenges of multi-cultural inclusivity for youth. The Training Program involves all the relevant and key stakeholders, i.e. educators of schools and colleges (grades 8-12), employers, parents and most significantly the youth, themselves. Educators will learn to identify the hidden talent of youth at early ages, 12-16 years. They will become adept at exploring hindrances to youth inclusivity. The overarching goal of this innovative and holistic training program is to develop career educators with a long-term vision to ensure that today’s youth will be able to meet the needs of the future workforce. Raza Abbas is the Chief Executive Officer of Pathway Global Career Institute

UNESCO Recognizes 'One of Its Own'

By Natalie Kauffman, M.S., NCDA Certified Career Counselor™, NCC, NCCC, GCDF-I

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, meeting on “Entrepreneurship Education” was co-hosted by Miriam College in Manila, Philippines and held on October 23-25, 2017. One hundred and twenty leading Asian entrepreneurs from 20 Asian countries/regions were selected for the October gathering. The gathering was part of ASEAN@50 celebrations in the Philippines. UNESCO’s mission is one of a peace building. It is achieved through coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication; by strengthening the ties between nations and societies; and by mobilizing the wider public. APCDA is very proud to share that Mr. Raza Abbas, our very own Pakistan Country Director, was recently selected as one of the 120 leading social entrepreneurs from Asia. Mr. Raza Abbas went through a rigorous selection process for the UNESCO meeting. At the meeting, he represented his social venture, Pathway Global Career Institute, which is based in Pakistan. The following innovative, social development projects of Pathway Global Career Institute greatly “influenced” (to borrow a word from our President’s message in this newsletter issue) Mr. Raza Abbas’ selection.
  1. Instilling hope in disadvantaged yet talented youth and teachers
  2. Parental career guidance dialogue
  3. Entrepreneurship boot-camp for un-employed yet talented youth
  4. Career education teacher training program
Mr. Raza Abbas actively participated in the UNESCO meeting and suggested two ideas to strengthen regional entrepreneurship in Asia:
  1. Instill hope-based entrepreneurship training for youth leading to disciplined entrepreneurship
  2. Reform teacher education entrepreneurship with blended learning and best practices from industry
APCDA proudly congratulates Mr. Raza Abbas for his selection by UNESCO and his contribution to the understanding of regional entrepreneurship in Asia. We warmly wish him ongoing success in his social development ventures and his own personal career development.

Advocating for Career Counseling, Career Education and Career Guidance

by Raza Abbas

Brief explanations for Career Counseling, Career Education, Career Guidance, and Advocacy follow to build a strong discussion foundation for Career Counseling, Career Education and Career Guidance Advocacy Enhancements.

Career Counseling is a process that will help you to know and understand yourself and the world of work in order to make career, educational, and life decisions. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), http://www.oecd.org/about/, definition for Career Guidance clearly links it to individual and group activities, online and onsite activities and education, counseling, world of work experiences and system development. “Career Guidance refers to services and activities intended to assist individuals, of any age and at any point throughout their lives, to make educational, training and occupational choices and to manage their careers. The activities may take place on an individual or group basis, and may be face-to-face or at a distance (including help lines and web-based services)”. Career Education helps a person develop the knowledge and skills they need to choose and pursue a career path. Career Education often refers to vocational training for a specific job field. Instead of focusing on academic subjects, a student learns the tools of an occupation through hands-on training.

Merrium-Webster defines Advocacy as “the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal.” As professionals of the service industry, we are collectively executing amazing and meaningful social development career projects in our respective regions and countries so that humanity blossoms and leads to peace and harmony in our societies. Pause for a moment and think about how frequently we advocate for career counseling, career guidance and career education work within our local, regional, national, and global institutions. We should consider pro-actively amplifying our advocacy efforts. Some valuable advocacy strategies follow that should strengthen and enhance your efforts.

Initially select the advocacy strategy from the list mentioned below that you with your institution currently pursue as part of the institution’s career counseling, career education and career guidance advocacy strategies. Then decide what else you can do to enhance your advocacy efforts

Communicate
Does your institution implement career counseling, career education and career guidance media campaigns: Social Media, TV, and/or Radio to raise general awareness in the society?

Publish
Does your institution publish career counseling, career education and career guidance research relevant to the institution”s mission?

Advise
As career professionals at your institution, do you all collectively advise communities, government, and other NGO”s on career counseling, career education and career guidance?

Organize
As an institution leader or practicing career professional, do you develop capacity for career educator communities to advocate for themselves?

 

Demonstrate
As an institution, do you participate in and /or organize public awareness sessions for parents, youth, teachers and/or community stakeholders on career guidance, career counseling and career education? How frequently does your institution facilitate career guidance, career counseling and career education awareness workshops, seminars, and conferences?

Lobby
If career counseling, career guidance and career education is relatively new in your country, has your institution lobbied effectively with policy making institutions in your country and law makers in order to influence career education, career counseling and career guidance legislation in your region?

Legislate
Does your institution work to help draft and propose new legislation on career guidance, career counseling and career education? As an institution, have you developed a holistic youth or career policy in your country and advocated career counseling, career education and career guidance as a civic right for youth in your respective country?

Technology
As an institution have you developed career counseling, career guidance, career education websites and career resources for the society at large in the local language? Does your organization have customized career guidance software for students and teachers? Does your institution promote career guidance through innovative means i.e. mobile phones and providing career guidance through telephone help lines?

Speak
Do institutional representatives pursue speaking engagements to raise awareness and share knowledge of career counseling, career guidance, career education at schools, NGO’s and vocational institutes? If so, are the engagements local, national and/or global? How frequently does your institution organize and plan national and international conferences in career counseling, career guidance and career education? Are the engagements virtual like video webinars or YouTube offerings?

Capacity Building
As an institution, how regularly does your team train teachers, practitioners and the society at large to become Career Counselors/ Career Practitioners, Career guidance counselors/Career guidance Practitioners and Career Educators/ Career Educator Practitioners during the semester and holidays?

I hope that this article enabled you to strategically identify additional techniques to strengthen and enhance your advocacy efforts. If you would like to further discuss one or more advocacy strategies kindly email at

 razaabbas.hr@gmail.com

Interventions of Hope in Pakistan

by Raza Abbas

By having the willingness t0 learn and un-learn, young people not only become more hopeful themselves – they can also enhance hope in their communities, which is the need of the hour. I facilitate hope-centered workshops for students in Karachi, Pakistan. To thrive in the 21st century, hope is the new pre-requisite and way of life. It is a healthy practice to appreciate and enjoy the countless blessings that we currently possess.

While we have the largest population of youth in Pakistan’s history, we are presented with the challenge of tapping the potential of young people for the country’s socio and economic development. This aspiration cannot be achieved without understanding the fundamental problems young people experience today and pondering over solutions to these problems. Some of the challenges towards youth development include high anxiety levels, unemployment, and inadequate career counseling and career guidance.

The Hope-Centered Workshop is an integrative, evidenced-based approach to conceptualizing, assessing and building hope that can be used across cultures and spiritual belief systems. It is based on the work of Dr. Anthony Scioli. The workshops are a “whole-brain” approach, combining cognitive-behavioural exercises with philosophical reflections and meditative-hypnotic exercises. Five modules are included in this intervention: two attachment modules, and one each for mastery, survival, and spiritual hope. A comprehensive self-report hope scale is administered before and after the workshop.

Positive mindset

In our pilot research in Pakistan, hope scores increased significantly, with an effect size of 1.07. The qualitative feedback was equally encouraging. An exit interview was conducted after the intervention with all participants. Themes of empowerment (mastery), greater openness (attachment), hope for improved self-regulation and coping (survival), and heightened awareness to spiritual needs were commonly reported.

“I started off the workshop with a very demoralizing mindset. Currently my mindset is really very different and positive than what I initiated with. I will give credit to hope workshops for diverting me towards positivity,” says student Anushay Hussain. “The workshops are an extremely inspiring effort for those who want to save themselves from the darkness of hopelessness,”

 adds student Verda Butt. “The idea of carrying out a research on such a rare studied topic in Pakistan was not only unique but zealous at the same time. It has been a great learning experience. I feel more hopeful towards my life and profession now. I hope there are more alike researches carried out in future in Pakistan and the region,” says Senior Lecturer Ifrah Shah.

Torch bearers

The pilot of the research was to strengthen the supply side of youth character building and employability by facilitating hope centered institutionalized teacher and youth training at educational institutions. To improve the demand side by instilling hope in students at all levels in making educated and informed career decisions. The implication of the study is a source for socio- economic think tank to re-strategize educational policy.

Based on the pilot study program, hope should be introduced as an elective in the university’s and school curriculum nationally and globally in order to make a sustainable impact leading to optimistic graduates prepared to face the challenges of work in the 21st century. Imparting hope in youth leads to social justice for a safer global world. Establishment of a hope centered foundation is the need of the hour that inspires humanity, irrespective of race, gender, age, religion and disability.

People from all walks of life should be optimistic and should strive for growth and an agile mindset. They should have self-confidence and belief in themselves and the future, especially at times of adversity. Therefore they should collaborate with professionals that are hope torch-bearers around the globe. The knowledge is available, let’s use it.

The keys:

  • The Hope-Centered Workshop is an integrative, evidenced-based approach to conceptualizing, assessing and building hope that can be used across cultures and spiritual belief systems.
  • Establishment of a hope centered foundation is the need of the hour that inspires humanity, irrespective of race, gender, age, religion and disability.
  • People should have self-confidence and belief in themselves and the future, especially at times of adversity.

Extracted from The World Book of Hope

Raza Abbas is the founder of professional career counseling and career guidance in Pakistan. He earned his dual degrees from The University of Arizona. Amongst speaking at numerous premier international and national forums, he is honored to have presented his research at the Inaugural UNESCO Chair on Lifelong Guidance and Counseling Conference at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. He focuses on hope-centered interventions, teacher training, career guidance, youth capacity building, and social entrepreneurship.