Pakistan has announced a goal to deploy one million skilled workers to Saudi Arabia by 2030 as part of a comprehensive workforce strategy, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported. The initiative aims to strengthen labor mobility, human capital development, and economic ties between the two countries.
Rising Labor Exports and Remittances
Pakistan's labor exports to Saudi Arabia have increased significantly over the past five years. According to Pakistan’s Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, the country sent 1.88 million workers to the Kingdom between 2020 and 2024, a 21 percent rise from the 1.56 million workers deployed during 2015–2019. Currently, an estimated 1.8 to 2.7 million Pakistanis reside and work in Saudi Arabia, based on Pakistani and Saudi estimates.
Remittances from Saudi Arabia remain a vital source of foreign exchange for Pakistan. In May, Pakistani workers in the Kingdom sent back Rs284.9 billion ($1.025 billion), making Saudi Arabia the largest source of remittances for the month, according to Pakistan’s central bank.
Sectors Targeted for Skilled Deployment
The 2030 strategy will focus on deploying Pakistani workers across multiple sectors, including construction, hospitality and tourism, healthcare, information technology, logistics, aviation, and infrastructure development. Radio Pakistan reported that 762,499 Pakistani workers were registered for overseas employment last year, with 530,256 (69.54 percent) moving to Saudi Arabia.
FIFA World Cup 2034 Opportunities
Last week, Pakistan announced plans to train and deploy approximately 300,000 to 400,000 workers for projects linked to the FIFA World Cup 2034 tournament, which will be hosted by Saudi Arabia. This initiative is expected to create additional employment opportunities for Pakistani workers in the Kingdom.
Bilateral Economic Cooperation
The workforce strategy is part of broader efforts to enhance economic cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Pakistani government views overseas employment as a key driver for economic stability, with remittances providing a crucial buffer for the country's foreign exchange reserves.
