Beyond the Degree: Rethinking Education and Employability in Pakistan 

At 23, Hamza has done everything his family expected him to do. He completed his education, obtained a university degree, and spent months searching for a job. Yet he remains at home, scrolling through vacancy announcements and competing with thousands of other graduates for limited opportunities. His question is simple, yet deeply unsettling: If I have completed my education, why am I still not ready for work?

Hamza’s story reflects a wider challenge facing Pakistan. Two out of every three Pakistanis are under 30, presenting a significant demographic opportunity. Hamza’s story reflects a wider challenge facing Pakistani students. Two out of every three Pakistanis are under 30, presenting a significant demographic opportunity. Yet according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Labour Force Survey 2024–25, the unemployment rate stands at 7.1 per cent, while labour-force participation is only 46.3 per cent. More strikingly, unemployment among people with Master’s, MPhil and PhD qualifications stands at 11.7 per cent—around 2.5 times the rate among people with no formal education.

This paradox points to a deeper structural problem. Our education system is producing qualifications faster than it is producing market-relevant competencies. The issue is not that Pakistan has too many educated people; it is that education remains insufficiently connected to the skills, competencies, capabilities and practical experience demanded by the labour market.

The question is no longer simply how many young people we educate, but whether our education prepares them for the world they are entering.

Beyond Examinations

Pakistan’s education system has traditionally measured success through examinations, grades, certificates and degrees. Academic achievement matters, but the ability to apply knowledge matters equally.

Critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, digital literacy, creativity and adaptability cannot be acquired soon after graduation. They must be developed from the early years and strengthened throughout education. Mathematics, for example, should develop not only conceptual understanding but also logic, reasoning, data analysis and decision-making. Similarly, classroom activities should encourage students to explain ideas, question assumptions, solve problems and learn from mistakes.

Connecting Education with Work

The transition from classroom to workplace remains one of Pakistan’s weakest links. Employers increasingly need graduates who can solve problems, communicate effectively, work collaboratively and adapt to new technologies, not simply reproduce textbook knowledge. Bridging this gap requires stronger collaboration among government, academia, industry and skills-development institutions, with employers and industry professionals actively contributing to curriculum design, identifying emerging occupational needs and aligning education with labour-market demand.

Universities and TVET institutions should strengthen industry engagement through guest lectures, mentoring, internships, apprenticeships, practical projects, industry certifications and career guidance, enabling students to gain both knowledge and workplace-ready skills. Students do not need degrees alone; they need degrees alongside practical, technical and soft skills that can prepare them to become a productive, adaptable and future-ready workforce.

Preparing for a Global Labour Market

The challenge, however, extends beyond Pakistan’s borders. International employers increasingly seek verified competencies, recognised qualifications, occupational certifications, practical experience and language proficiency. Pakistan must therefore move beyond preparing individuals merely to pursue overseas employment and adopt a more strategic approach that develops workers according to the skills and competencies demanded by international labour markets.

Bilateral labour and skills agreements with countries facing workforce shortages can play a crucial role in creating this alignment. By linking destination-country demand with Pakistan’s education and skills-development systems, such agreements can support demand-driven training, internationally recognised certification, skills recognition, language preparation and ethical, transparent recruitment.

Such collaboration can establish a coherent pathway from identifying labour-market demand to training, certification, skills recognition and legitimate employment. This would not only improve the employability and global competitiveness of Pakistani workers but also contribute to safer, more orderly and sustainable labour mobility.

A New Education-to-Employment Compact

Pakistan needs an Education-to-Employment and Skills-to-Mobility Framework that brings these elements together. Competencies should become an integral part of every qualification, while universities, schools and TVET institutions work closely with industry to keep learning relevant. Apprenticeships, internships, professional certifications and career guidance should become integral—not peripheral—to education. Skills acquired through experience should be recognised, and training should increasingly align with both national industry requirements and international occupational standards. Most importantly, educational success should be judged not only by enrolment, examinations and certificates, but by what learners can demonstrate and how effectively their capabilities translate into decent work.

From Qualification to Capability

Hamza’s problem is not that he earned a degree. It is that a degree alone has not necessarily equipped him with the experience, competencies and pathways required to enter the workplace.

Pakistan’s demographic dividend will depend on what happens between the classroom and the labour market. The country must move from rote learning to applied learning, from isolated institutions to collaboration, and from qualifications to capability.

The objective is not to produce fewer graduates. It is to produce graduates—and skilled workers—who can think, communicate, solve problems, use technology, collaborate and adapt.

Pakistan does not simply need more educated people.

It needs a workforce that is competent, adaptable and ready for both the national and global economy.

Tahseen Ullah is a development and migration sector practitioner specialising in migration

management, education and child protection. He can be reached at tahseenanthro@gmail.com .

LinkedIn: Tahseen Ullah

The views expressed are his own and do not reflect the views of his employer or any affiliated organisation.