Unemployment in the country has witnessed an increase of 170,000 persons during the past two years, says Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2017-18 released here on Friday by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
According to the survey, the total labour force of the country is 65.5 million of which 61.7 million people are employed in various sectors while 3.8 million people are unemployed. According to survey in 2014-15, the unemployment ratio was 5.9 percent which now has reduced to 5.8 percent. The survey has considered people above the 10 years of age in labour force.
According to LFS of PBS 2017-18, at present unemployment ratio in the country stands around 5.8 percent of which 5.1 percent are male and 8.3 percent female. According to the survey, some 3.8 million people are unemployed of which 2.3 million are in Punjab, 0.75 million in Sindh, 0.55 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 0.1 million are in Balochistan. In 2014-15 LFS, the number of unemployed people stood at 3.62 million.
The survey said that contribution of agriculture sector in employment has reduced from 42 to 38 percent in 2017-18. The industrial sector's contribution in job creation has increased during the past five years as the sector at present is providing 23.7 percent of jobs while five years ago its contribution was 22.6 percent in job creations. Over the period, service sector's ratio in employment has also jumped as it was 35.1 percent jobs five years ago and now it is providing 37.8 percent jobs.
Employment by major industries comparative surveys indicate changes in the employment shares. Increase is observed in manufacturing from 15.3% to 16.1%, wholesale & retail trade from 14.6% to 16.9%, and transport/storage & communication from 5.4% to 6.2%, while decrease in the case of agriculture/forestry/hunting & fishing from 42.3% to 38.5%.
Other industrial categories are approximately at the same level during the comparative period.
According to the survey, the country's present literacy rate stands around 62.2 percent of which 71.6 percent of male population and 51.8 of female population are literate.
Literacy rate trends up from 60.7% to 62.3%, both in the case of female from 49.6% to 51.8% and males from 71.6% to 72.5%. Area-wise rates suggest increase both in rural area from 51.9% to 53.3% and urban areas from 76.0% to 76.6% and male-female disparity seems to be narrowing down with the time.
Employment status comprises employees 42.4%, followed by self-employed 34.8%, contributing family workers, 21.4%, and employers, 1.4%. More than one-half of female workers toil as contributing family workers 51.9% while about eighth-tenths of male are self-employed, 39.1%, and employees, 42.4%. As far change during the comparative period, employees increased from 38.7% to 42.4% while self-employed deceased from 36.1% to 34.8%, contributing family workers from 23.8% to 21.4% and employers witnessed no change as 1.4% in 2014-15 at the same level in 20117-18.
Unemployment rate of 5.8% is proximate to the previous survey figure of 5.9%. Change is observed more in the case of females from 9.0% to 8.3% than males from 5.0% to 5.1% during the comparative period. Unemployment rate in urban areas decreased from 8.0% to 7.2% while same level was witnessed in the rural areas at 5.0%.
Activity status comprises formal and informal sectors. Informal sector accounts for more than seven-tenths (72.0%) of non-agricultural employment more in rural (76.0%) than in urban areas (68.3%). On the other hand, formal sector activities are concentrated more in urban areas (31.7%) than rural areas (24.0%).
Share of females in comparison with corresponding share of males is more pronounced in urban formal (34.2%) and rural informal (77.7%) while, share of males are more evident in rural formal (24.3%) and urban informal (68.6%). Formal sector gear up (27.4% to 28.0), while informal sector gears down (72.6% to 72.0%) during the comparative period. Shares of males and females turn up in the formal and decline in the informal sector.
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