5.2 percent workforce unemployed, NA told

[LahoreEstate]

* Labour minister says 403,198 workers have been sent abroad for employment since March 2008 to January 2009

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: About 5.2 percent of Pakistan’s labour force is currently unemployed and 403,198 workers have been sent abroad for employment since March 2008 to January 2009, the Lower House was told on Saturday.

In a written response to questions by Parveen Masood Bhatti and Chaudhry Barjees Tahir, Labour and Manpower Minister Syed Khursheed Shah said the government charged Rs 2.87 billion from the workers sent abroad during this time, which included the service charges of overseas employment promoters.

He said 2,453 doctors and 1,146 other medical professionals had gone aboard for employment. “The government’s policy focus is on creation of decent employment, poverty reduction and human resource development,” the minister said.

He said the government had taken a number of initiatives in this direction – such as the establishment of Employment Commission, the employment scheme, construction of a million housing units, a well coordinated system of milk supply from rural to urban areas, doubling of number of lady health workers to cover kachi abadis, adopting measures to enhance the income of workers in the livestock sector, raising of minimum wage from Rs 4,600 to Rs 6,000, enhancement in pension of workers, filling up of the vacant posts in the federal and provincial ministries and departments, the increase of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funds for 2008-09 to Rs 549.7 billion, distribution of agriculture land among landless peasants, the Benazir Income Support Programme and the Pakistan Skill Programme.

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