This is apropos four letters to the Editor titled above from this writer carried by the newspaper on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Yesterday.
This writer would like to explain what actually constitutes ‘value-added employment’. For example, the number of branches of banks is going to be reduced; however, the number of plumbers required for maintenance of apartments is increasing. There are millions of unemployed people in Pakistan; however, there is an acute shortage of qualified plumbers, electricians, carpenters, nurses, ward boys and other such jobs. The contradiction is explained in the following paragraphs:
The author is managing a big hospital. Whenever there is an advertisement for a job in any general department, say accounts, there are hundreds of applicants from 2nd and 3rd tier universities. On average there are 100 applications for one job. As against that when there is a vacancy for a qualified Operation Theatre Assistant then only one or two persons are available for 10 to twenty jobs.
The reason is very simple. In our country, education is not targeted towards ultimate employment. The province of Sindh requires thousands of medical technicians, who are not doctors; however, there are apparently very few colleges and institutions imparting such education and training. This means that at this stage there is no ‘unemployment’ in the country. The country is facing ‘under-employment’.
To conclude, it is stated that there is a need to know that perception about societies which we consider ideal should change. Those societies maintained their social structure on the exploitation of cheap labour and raw materials from the so-called developing countries. This has completely changed with the emergence of new economic powers.
Pakistan at this stage is at the crossroads of success or failure. We have only one option, which is a better living place for our future generations.
Syed Shabbar Zaidi (Karachi)
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.