LabourMigrationInAsia

BySaeedAhmed
DirectorLabourWelfareBalochistan,Pakistan

The views expressed in this presentation are the views of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI),
the Asian Development Bank (ADB), its Board of Directors, or the governments they
represent ADBI does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and
represent.
accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use. Terminology used may not
necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.

LabourMigrationInAsia

Overseas employment is playing a vital role in reducing the

pressure of unemployment at home, besides being a
major means of earning foreign exchange in the shape of
overseas workers
workers' remittances.
remittances
Overseas employment is thus, serving as the mainstay for
very feeble national economy, by providing much needed
fi
financial
i l outlay
tl for
f debt
d bt servicing,
i i
i
imports
t bill,
bill alleviation
ll i ti
of poverty, development projects and economic activities.

LabourMigrationInAsia

The legal framework meant to safeguard the rights of

Pakistani Migrant workers and regulate the activities of
overseas employment promoters and recruiting agencies
is contained in the Emigration Ordinance (1979) and the
Emigration Rules (1979).
(1979)

LabourMigrationInAsia

The Protector of Emigrants directly supervises the

activities of overseas employment promoters (OEPs). The
Government of Pakistan applies pre
predefined
defined criteria for
granting license to private recruitment agents and
overseas employment promoters.
Once the license is granted according to the rules and
regulations, the Protector of Emigrants is supposed to
monitor their performance.
p

LabourMigrationInAsia

The Overseas Pakistanis not only earn income and

send remittances but also learn to apply latest
technologies and earn goodwill for the country. In
some cases, they
h transfer
f these
h
new technologies
h l i to
Pakistan and benefit their countrymen. In return, it is
p
on the Government of Pakistan to p
provide
imperative
maximum possible benefits and support to OPs in
their genuine problems.

LabourMigrationInAsia

OverseasEmploymentCorporation(OEC)
was established in 1976 by Govt. of Pakistan and is only
employment promotion agency operating in public
sector. The main objective of establishing OEC is to
facilitate the foreign employers in recruiting manpower
from Pakistan and to explore the opportunities for
export of Pakistani manpower all over the world.

LabourMigrationInAsia
OEC has been able to make a remarkable leap in the field
of manpower supply by sending more than 135,000
workers to 55 different countries across the world. This
includes highly
g
qualified professionals of Medicine,
Engineering,
Education,
Science,
Agriculture,
Manufacturing, Services, Shipping fields and skilled and
unskilled manpower as well
Safeguarding interest of both the employer and the
employee, on sound moral principles, high ethical values
and uprighted national entity.

LabourMigrationInAsia
Currently 23 per cent of world population is migrant
worker. However, most of them lack information and
knowledge about safe migration.
The growing pace of economic globalization has
created more migrant workers than ever before.
Unemployment
l
and
d increasing
i
i
poverty have
h
prompted many workers in developing countries to
seek work elsewhere

LabourMigrationInAsia

Developedcountrieshaveincreasedtheirdemandfor
Labour,especiallyunskilledLabour
Pakistanis6thlargestLabourforceintheworldwith
amajorityofyoungpopulationand3rdinAsiahaving
highestnumberofyouthaspiringtoworkabroad.
FirsttwoareCambodiaandBangladesh

LabourMigrationInAsia

The National Policy for overseas Pakistanis focus on

Social Protection as a basic human right of Overseas
Pakistanis as per Constitution of Pakistan and make
Pakistanis,
necessary efforts to include OPs in existing Social
Protection schemes available for Pakistani workers.

LabourMigrationInAsia
National Policy for Overseas Pakistanis with a focus
on maximizing welfare and empowerment of
Pakistani diaspora working in different countries
across the globe
At present, only 0.12 per cent Pakistani women work
abroad
b d very low
l
b allll standards.
by
d d There
h
i a need
is
d to
take proactive steps to increase womens
participation in overseas employment.

LabourMigrationInAsia

REMITTENCE

LabourMigrationInAsia

The Pakistan economy and a significant proportion of its

population depends on the flows of remittances from
overseas workers and the broader Pakistani diaspora.
At over US$ 14 billion
billi in
i official
ffi i l remittances
itt
i expected
is
t d in
i
2012/13which is just over half the projected total export
value of goods and services and corresponding imports of
around
d US$ 40 billionthey
billi
th provide
id critical
iti l supportt to
t a
precarious current account situation.

LabourMigrationInAsia

Remittancestohouseholdsalsohaveafavorable
impactonpovertyreductionandjobcreation.Also
accountingforaround5.5percentofGDP,
remittancesinjectmuchneededadditionalaggregate
i
i j
h
d d ddi i
l

demandintoaneconomythathasbeenmiredin
stagflationoverthelastfiveyears.
g
y

Methodsusedtotransfermoneyfromabroadby
ruralandurbanoriginofmigrants(percent)

LabourMigrationInAsia

THANKS