Saudi Arabia, UAE continue to remain top destinations for Pakistani migrant workers this year

People walk past a Pakistani restaurant offering an iftar meal for two dollars before the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Dubai on March 22, 2023. (AFP/File)

• A top Pakistani official says the kingdom’s flourishing business landscape, development projects are attracting skilled labor
• New migrant workers from the country say they were forced to move abroad due to constantly rising cost of living in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have remained the preferred destinations for Pakistani migrant workers since the beginning of the year, said a top government functionary on Monday, as more than 450,000 people left the South Asian state in 2023 while pursuing suitable employment opportunities.
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2022-23, a total of 829,549 Pakistanis went abroad in search of better financial opportunities last year. Among them, 514,725 people, who accounted for over 62 percent of the total number, chose to relocate to Saudi Arabia, while 15.5 percent, or 129,000 workers, decided to move to the UAE to secure their livelihood.
Workers’ remittances are important to Pakistan’s economy, particularly at a time when the country’s foreign exchange reserves have rapidly depleted and the government has repeatedly sought financial assistance from friendly nations and international lenders.
“In the first seven months of 2023 [from January to July], a total of 450,110 Pakistanis left their home country while looking for jobs abroad,” Akram Ali Khowaja, director general of the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment at the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, told Arab News.
Quoting the statistics compiled by his organization, he said that Saudi Arabia emerged as the primary destination for Pakistani migrant workers this year, with 205,515 people choosing the kingdom as their new workplace.
This was followed by the UAE where 121,745 migrant workers decided to relocate. Other Gulf states, such as Oman received 34,140 workers, Qatar welcomed 35,637 of them, and Bahrain opened its doors for 7,441 Pakistanis.
Beyond the Gulf region, 16,166 opted for Malaysia, while China recorded 990 arrivals from Pakistan.
“There are many new development projects underway in Saudi Arabia,” Khowaja added. “This has created a lot of opportunities for overseas skilled workers.”
He said another reason for the movement of large number of migrant workers was the backlog left due to the travel ban during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Last year, a large number of Pakistanis also went to Gulf states, with a majority of them going to Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he continued.
Hamzah Gilani, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s consulate in Jeddah, said the kingdom had emerged as a captivating hub for global workers, notably those from Pakistan.
“It is due to its flourishing business landscape, multitude of projects, and Vision 2030 initiative,” he told Arab News over the phone from Jeddah.
“Saudi Arabia is making remarkable strides in enhancing the business ecosystem, attracting foreign investment, and fostering private-sector job opportunities,” he added.
Naveed Ahmed, an engineer from Lahore who went to Saudi Arabia in February, said he decided to leave his job with a German multinational firm in Pakistan to move to the kingdom.
“I was working in a German company but got a good opportunity in the kingdom since they are paying much better and providing plenty of growth opportunities,” he told Arab News.
“Saudi companies are competing with multinational organizations to attract good human resource which is evident that they are progressing at a fast pace,” he said.
Muhammad Ahmed, who originally belongs to Sahiwal and works as a driver in Jeddah, said he was the sole breadwinner of his family of nine and had decided to leave his home to support them.
“I got the job through a recruitment agency after trying for two years,” he told Arab New.
“The cost of living has increased in Pakistan, and I had to come to Saudi Arabia to ensure that my loved ones continued to have a roof over their heads and food on the table,” he continued, adding that it was a challenging decision for him, though the well-being of his family kept him going.
“I don’t feel too alienated now since there are a lot of Pakistani workers in Jeddah and I have also got a chance to visit Makkah time and again,” he said.