KARACHI: The total population of the country has projected to 188.2 million in year 2014 however; population has been decreased to 1.95 percent in current year comparatively to previous year of 1.97 it is due to effective measures taken by the government.
According to population projections of planning commission, is approximately 56 percent of the total population in the year 2014. To emancipate the country from problems associated with population resource imbalance, increasing number of unemployed and least productive youth population, the present government is working on both population control and capacity building of youth population under the concept of inclusive growth.
The Economic Survey said that Family Planning program of the government encompasses Family Welfare Center, Reproductive Health Services Centers, Regional Training Institutes and Mobile Services Units. These family programs will help in reducing population growth rate, fertility rate, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate in the country.
The government has started a number of schemes under the umbrella of prime minister youth initiative for creating livelihood opportunities for unemployed youth and to make them an engine of growth for Pakistan’s economy. Social safety nets have also been devised with special focus on reaping the potential of bulging youth population and capturing the population dividend. These programs include Interest Free Loan Scheme, Business Loan Scheme, Youth Training Scheme, Youth Skill Development, Provision of Laptop Scheme, Fee Re-imbursement Scheme for the students from the less develop areas.
According to the Labour Force Survey 2012-13,
Pakistan has 59.74 million labour force, around 2.5 million people added in labour force as compared to 2010-11.Out of this labour force only 56.01 million people got employment and resultantly 3.73 million people are unemployed. Most of the labour force in Pakistan works in the rural areas where agriculture is the dominant activity. The total labour force working in the agricultural sector decreased from 45 percent in 2010-11 to 43.7 percent in 2012-13. In manufacturing sector the labour force participation rate has increased from 13.7 percent in 2010-11 to 14.1 percent in 2012-13 and the share of community/social and personal sector has increased from 10.8 percent to 13.3 percent in 2012-13.
The report said that overall unemployment rate has increased from 6.0 percent in 2010-11 to 6.2 percent in 2012-13 with rural unemployment increasing from 4.7 percent in 2010-11 to 5.5 percent in 2012-13 and urban unemployment is stable at 8.8 percent in 2012-13. This rise in unemployment is on account of rise in population, low growth and less job opportunities created in the past for power shortages resulting in lower production.
Economic Survey said that policy makers in Pakistan are identifying overseas employment opportunities for the unemployed youth, providing them appropriate trainings and bridging the gap between employer and employee in the global labor market. Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development has been entrusted with the task of aligning labor supply with the changing global market requirements which is making serious efforts for achieving this objective. Since 1971 up to March 2014 around 7.4 million overseas Pakistanis working /living around the globe. The main concentration of overseas Pakistanis is in Middle East 49.2 percent, Europe 28.3 percent and America 16.2 percent.