ISLAMABAD: Since 1971, more than 11 million Pakistanis have proceeded to Arab States (in particular the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries) for employment through official procedure, said a report of ILO (International Labour Organisation) 2020.

According to the report, labour migration was at their peak in 2015 and 2016 – as 946,571 and 839,353 workers proceeded to Saudi Arabia and UAE respectively. The largest destination country of Pakistani workers in 2019, was Saudi Arabia where 332,713 were sent; 211,216 proceeded to United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman is hosting 28,391 Pakistani workers.

In total, 285,932 were skilled workers, whereas 249,075 and 64,876 were unskilled and semi-skilled workers respectively, who sent abroad. The migration of Pakistani workers is mostly towards the GCC countries of the Arab States.

Pakistanis working abroad are classified into four skill levels — high, middle, skilled and unskilled. In this classification, consideration is given to both the educational endowment and wage characteristics of each occupation.

The high level includes engineers, doctors, teachers, lecturers, accountants, managers and executives.

The middle level covers typists, clerks, supervisors, surveyors, nurses, and persons engaged in trade and business. Production related skilled occupations such as masons, electricians, drivers, machine operators, carpenters, mechanics and welders are classified in the skilled level.

The unskilled level includes both agricultural workers and non-agricultural labourers. Unclassified occupations, such as household work, are also included in the unskilled level.