The Imran Khan led government has officially requested the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to increase the quota of Pakistani workers on the multi-billion project of the New Taif City.
An official from the ministry of overseas Pakistanis observed that the request was conveyed by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari.
The official said, “Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, requested the Saudi administration to increase the Pakistani workers’ quota in the New Taif City project.”
https://twitter.com/appcsocialmedia/status/1189150928508768256
Pakistani Manpower to KSA
The unnamed official said that the special assistant, on his recent visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, conveyed the government’s desire to increase the export of Pakistani manpower to the development projects in the Kingdom. During his meetings with the Saudi authorities, the SAPM Zulfi Bukhari explored new avenues for strengthening Pakistan’s manpower exports to the Kingdom.
The official said that the new project was established with the agenda of developing a new airport, a technical oasis, residential communities, Okaz City, a university, and an industrial centre in the New Taif city.
Read more: Saudi Arabia Waives Off 5-year Fees charged on Expat Work Permits
The official added that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had also extended the offer to facilitate the exports of Pakistani workers through its digital platform, Musaned, which has been designed to streamline the process of labourer recruitment and ensure that their legal rights are protected.
Pakistan will soon begin sending its workers to the Kingdom through Musaned, however, the process would require a few months.
Workforce to the UAE
The official revealed that aside from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis is also aiming to establish its digital port within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a means to establish a direct link between foreign employers and Pakistani workers.
This is aimed at reducing the role played by the middlemen in securing overseas employment, and it would aid the country in elevating its training standards to meet the demands of the international markets.
The official said that the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) has offered Pakistan to access its labour market databases to obtain updated information on the job opportunities opening up in the UAE.
Read more: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to increase scholarships for students
The official said that Pakistan is all set to link its own job portal with that of the UAE as it would open up a wide range of job opportunities for the youth in the country. He said that MOHRE has also exhibited a willingness to activate the joint committee established for the implementation of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure that the legal rights of the Pakistani workers and well protected, and their legal job disputes are resolved in a timely fashion.
As per the records of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, around 568,464 Pakistanis have been registered for overseas employment during the period September 2018 to September 2019. Reports reveal that during the period of 2017, around 424,867 workers obtained overseas employment opportunities for various job roles.
October Highlights: Positive relationship building with other countries has resulted in a 42% increase in number of Pakistanis getting jobs overseas in Oct-2019 as compared to previous years@pid_gov @sayedzbukhari #OverseasPakistanis #ZulfiBukhari pic.twitter.com/d8lXtVoopy
— Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis & HRD (@mophrd) October 29, 2019
The twitter handle of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis revealed a 42% increase in the number of Pakistani employees who obtained jobs overseas in October 2019.