Pakistan’s unemployment rate has climbed, with the number of jobless individuals surpassing eight million, ARY News reported, citing the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ (PBS) Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2024–2025.
According to the data, unemployment has increased by 0.8 percentage points, reaching 7.1 percent.
With a national population of 240 million, Pakistan’s labour force has expanded to 77.2 million. The report highlighted alarming trends, like 43 percent of the population being of working age, while 53.8 percent remain either unemployed or outside the labour force.
The survey also noted that Pakistan’s average monthly pay stood at PKR 24,028 in 2020–2021. Currently, men earn an average of PKR 39,302 per month, compared to PKR 37,347 for women.
In a separate development, the World Bank recently questioned Pakistan’s claims of declining poverty, stating that only small segments among the poor had seen minimal improvement, while rural communities continue to face severe hardship.
The bank clarified that its poverty measurement models depict broad trends rather than exact figures, as reported by The Express Tribune.
It added that limited signs of economic recovery during the last fiscal year benefitted workers in sectors such as logistics and construction.
However, the World Bank emphasised that Pakistan’s existing economic structure is inadequate for achieving long-term gains in living standards.
The country’s fight against poverty has stagnated since 2015 and suffered further setbacks due to COVID-19, the 2022 floods, and record-high inflation.
Nearly 40 percent of children remain stunted, a stark indicator of entrenched gaps in human development and public services.
The World Bank noted that upcoming household surveys will finally provide updated and accurate poverty statistics, replacing years of estimates and offering a clearer picture of Pakistan’s socioeconomic situation.
