Experts call for national roadmap to expand Pakistan’s freelance workforce

IT experts and industry analysts have called for a coordinated national strategy to expand Pakistan’s freelance workforce, warning that gaps in emerging technology skills, communication and business development are preventing freelancers from fully capitalising on growing global opportunities.

Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) Chairman Ibrahim Amin said the country needed to build a stronger, technology-focused freelancing community to help digital workers improve their competitiveness, access international markets and generate greater foreign exchange earnings.

He urged the government and private sector to work together to equip freelancers with in-demand technical and soft skills, saying a coordinated approach was essential to address existing shortcomings and strengthen Pakistan’s digital economy.

Pakistan has an estimated three million freelancers, making it one of the largest freelance communities in the world. However, industry stakeholders believe the country needs a comprehensive strategy to expand this workforce and improve its competitiveness in the global digital economy.

Pakistan’s IT and tech exports rose to $435 million in September 2026, the second-highest monthly figure on record, Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said last week.

Meanwhile, freelancers’ exports totalled around $550 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (1QFY27), up 46% from the same period a year earlier, he added.

According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), freelancers offering IT-related services generated export receipts of $333 million during July-September 2026, compared with $272 million in the same period last year, registering growth of around 22%.

Freelancers providing non-IT services earned $215 million in the first quarter of FY27, up from $104 million in the corresponding period of FY26, marking a substantial year-on-year increase of 106%.

This brought total freelancers’ export receipts to nearly $550 million during the period.

Non-IT freelancers include content writers, voice-over artists, online teachers, e-commerce specialists and other professionals providing digital services.

The figures indicate that although IT-related freelancing continues to contribute significantly to Pakistan’s export receipts, non-IT freelancing is expanding at a much faster pace.

Amin was of the view that Pakistani freelancers were still not fully benefiting from available opportunities because of gaps in emerging technology skills, communication and business development capabilities.

He said freelancing could provide an important source of income for young people amid limited employment opportunities in the formal industrial sector. By maintaining consistency, professionalism and dedication, young Pakistanis could use international freelancing platforms to reach global markets, he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Noman Ahmed Said, a freelancing coach, stressed the need to introduce technology-focused education from the school level to prepare young people for changes in the global labour market.

He said rapid technological advancements were reshaping industries and creating uncertainty for businesses and independent professionals, making continuous skills development essential for freelancers to remain competitive.

Said called for an education system that prioritised digital literacy, technical expertise and business development skills, arguing that early exposure to technology would help prepare a larger workforce for the digital economy.

The CEO of Si Global said Pakistan could increase its freelance workforce from three million to four million within a year, provided the government developed a national roadmap and worked with the private sector to promote freelancing, skills development and digital entrepreneurship.

Industry stakeholders believe a comprehensive strategy should go beyond increasing the number of freelancers to improving their productivity, access to training and ability to secure higher-value international assignments.