ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched Pakistan’s first-ever National Youth Employment Policy on Wednesday, saying it contained specific quotas for women in the labor force and startups, as Islamabad aims to enhance opportunities for its young population.
Pakistan has a massive young population, with the latest Pakistan Labour Force Survey 2024–25 estimating that the country had 46.3 million people aged 15–24 as of January 2025. The survey estimated that this was 18.5 percent of the total population.
Speaking at an event held to mark International Youth Day in Islamabad, Sharif announced the policy, which he said was aimed at creating greater employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people.
“Under the policy, there will be a mandatory 35 percent quota for women in the entire labor force,” Sharif said. “And for young people, instead of giving jobs, a decision has been made to enable them to easily start their own businesses.
“Therefore, I announce that every year we will allocate a 10 percent quota for startups,” he added.
Pakistan sees its young population as both an economic opportunity and a policy challenge. Each year, millions of young Pakistanis enter the labor market, but job creation has struggled to keep pace with population growth. This has prompted successive governments to prioritize skills development, entrepreneurship, and digital inclusion.
The Pakistani premier spoke about the importance of artificial intelligence and IT in today’s world, announcing that the government will send 1,000 Pakistani male and female students to China to be trained in the two fields.
He said all of their expenses will be borne by the government.
Sharif said a total of 700,000 laptops had been distributed among Pakistani students on merit, adding that this year, 250,000 high achievers would be given Chromebooks as awards.
“The future is not something you wait for; the future is something you build, now go and build it,” he said.
