ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is aiming to double its workforce deployments in Saudi Arabia to 1 million workers annually, a Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) official said on Monday.
Pakistan’s human resource exports to Saudi Arabia have already shown a steady rise over the past five years, according to the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment. The country sent 1.88 million workers to the Kingdom between 2020 and 2024, up 21 percent from 1.56 million workers sent during 2015–2019.
Pakistan’s remittances from the Kingdom climbed from $7.39 billion in 2020 to $8.59 billion in 2024, reflecting sustained demand for Pakistani labor. Pakistani officials say Islamabad and Riyadh are set to sign a wide-ranging economic agreement following a landmark defense deal signed in Sept. to enhance joint deterrence.
Naseer Khan Kashani, an acting secretary at the MOPHRD, told Arab News on Monday that Islamabad has been engaged in “extensive negotiations” with Riyadh to double the number of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia in coming years, compared to around 500,000 Pakistani workers who go to Saudi Arabia annually.
“The government is taking a lot of initiatives, particularly, we are in talks with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding the total number of Pakistani workers going to Saudi Arabia annually will soon reach 1 million.
“A lot of steps have been taken. Meetings are going on. And we have reached the point where more than 65 percent of our total overseas workforce is currently heading to Saudi Arabia.”
To a question about priority sectors, the official said Pakistan’s manpower exports traditionally revolve around construction, allied industries, health and hospitality sectors, but Islamabad is now looking to broaden its footprint.
“We want to extend it to many other fields where our workforce is not engaged right now,” he said.
Saudi Arabia has been diversifying its economy under Vision 2030, aimed at developing public service sectors in the Kingdom such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation and tourism.
From projects like NEOM city to Expo 2030 and FIFA World Cup 2034, Kashani said, the scale of upcoming development in Saudi Arabia presents “unprecedented opportunities” for Pakistani talent.
“Both governments are trying to ensure that we realize the best potential of both countries,” he added.
