ISLAMABAD: The new figures from the Protectorate of Immigrants disclose an enormous decrease in the number of Pakistanis who left their country for work in 2025. The total number of 686,292 migrant workers this year is more than 41,000 less than the previous year’s count of 727,391. This steep decline has resulted in a need to explore the reasons behind such migration trend changes in the country.
The decline in the number of workers heading for foreign shores has been confirmed by the report and it also reveals that there has been a significant drop in the number of job seekers in other countries from Pakistan’s side this year.
Sindh (Including Karachi): 52,449 people were the ones who left for work overseas.
United States: Only 899 people were the ones who opted for the U.S. job, a sharp fall when compared with the previous years.
Saudi Arabia continues to be the number one destination for both male and female workers from Pakistan, followed by the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
Apart from these, other countries such as Japan, Central Asia, the UK, Europe, and even some African countries have also seen a few workers from Pakistan going to them.
The migration of workers entails a mixing of people from different backgrounds: at one extreme, we have highly qualified professionals such as doctors, nurses, accountants, and engineers; at the other end, unskilled and semi-skilled workers as well as those from the labour class.
The decreasing trend of overseas employment has caused a debate on the changing pattern of migration and what reasons are behind this drop in figures.
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