Summary
- But it is not just migration as such, but rather the absence of opportunities and help back home.
- According to an IPSOS survey in 2024, 74% of Pakistani youth are loyal to their homeland and are unlikely to want to leave the country.
- Our young people move out not because they want to but because they are seeking better opportunities in life.
Tayyab Afzal
Convocation day is a common event that family and friends usually celebrate, and everyone congratulates the graduates. But for many young Pakistanis, it is the day when real struggles start. With 16 years of education, youth have a strong desire to be independent financially, but they experience depression and anxiety. What is it they are really getting out of 16 years of education in Pakistan? The only possible option for many people is to leave the country. But it is not just migration as such, but rather the absence of opportunities and help back home. Middle-class families are unable to send their children abroad.
According to an IPSOS survey in 2024, 74% of Pakistani youth are loyal to their homeland and are unlikely to want to leave the country. But the 2025 Monthly Economic Update & Outlook report by the Ministry of Finance states that 762,499 Pakistani workers had registered to take jobs abroad. Our young people move out not because they want to but because they are seeking better opportunities in life.
This is not merely a waste of talent; it is a waste of investment. Countries such as Canada, the UK, and Australia take advantage of having highly skilled Pakistani professionals without incurring the cost of training them. At the same time, Pakistan struggles with shortages of doctors, researchers, and technical experts. Every government makes fake promises of creating employment and empowering the youth, yet the truth is far from their cries.
The actual problem is that those who stay in Pakistan should be given opportunities for good compensation and a good environment to grow. Addressing graduate unemployment requires collaborative efforts across the career pathways, including hiring incentives for small firms, mandatory industry internships, reskilling credit systems, and digital labor-market matching platforms. Failing to address the struggles and aspirations of educated youth risks a generational brain drain of talent and hope.
“Graduation should be the start of a bright future, not a beginning to struggle.”
