‘763,000 Pakistanis migrated for employment thru formal channels in 2025’

ISLAMABAD: More than 763,000 Pakistanis migrated abroad for employment through formal channels in 2025, contributing significantly to the economies of destination countries while supporting millions of households through remittances, further cementing Pakistan’s position as one of the world’s leading labour-exporting countries.

This information was shared during a two-day training session organised by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) under the project “Advancing Safe and Fair Labour Migration,” funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and co-funded by the European Union, with support from GIZ Pakistan.

Government officials from across Pakistan convened in Islamabad this week for a training session aimed at strengthening fair recruitment systems, improving labour migration governance, and enhancing protection for Pakistani migrant workers against exploitation and unfair recruitment practices.

Geir Tonstol, Director of the ILO Country Office for Pakistan, stated that “Labour migration should create opportunities for workers — not expose them to debt, exploitation or abuse. Too many workers still face excessive recruitment costs, misleading information, and vulnerability even before departure. Strengthening fair recruitment systems is therefore essential to protecting workers’ rights and ensuring that migration remains a pathway to decent work. Workers should not pay for jobs.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026