Imran
Khan, the current leader of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), also
promised 10 million new jobs to the people in his election campaign, which was
well received by the youth. But recently, the Prime Minister of Pakistan seems
to be elaborating further on these statements, as he said in a statement that
government jobs are a path to disaster and do not expose your capabilities.

 

Even before this, many government officials have said
that the government’s job is not to provide jobs but to create an environment
for their availability and the government is working on projects that will
create jobs in the country.

 

But at the same time, the government has eliminated many
government posts and increased the salaries of existing employees only after a
major protest in the federal capital in recent days.

The general impression is that government jobs in
Pakistan are more durable, easy, privileged, and influential, while there is no
guarantee that private employment will last, there is more work to be done and
no government benefits.

 

Probably a factor as to why they’re doing so poorly in government departments.

When it comes to jobs above grade 17, in Punjab alone, two to two and a half lakh youth take the Punjab Public Service Examination every year, out of which only three to three and a half hundred succeed in securing these posts.

There
are also many instances where people want to leave private jobs and get
government jobs.

 

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the
federal government alone can employ 663,000 employees

 

Comfort
only in government service

 

Ali
Abbas (pseudonym), a journalist from Lahore, recently applied for the post of
computer operator in a government agency.

 

When asked why he was doing this, he replied, “I
don’t know if the media job will last in the evening or the morning and the
other private sector. The economic situation in the country is the same.”
Not hidden from anyone, companies are closing down here. So I know how to
operate a computer, so I applied for this post. If this job is found then life
will be calm. There will be a guarantee of employment and then there will be a
retirement plan, and what is needed?

 

Ali Abbas is not the only one who thinks so. According to
economist Dr. Qais Aslam, a large section of the population supports this idea
and the main reason for this is the country’s economic situation as well as the
colonial mindset.

“However, the government salary is not high enough
to be paid.” Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average
person. And I have no qualms about saying that this is where corruption and
bribery begin.

 

According to him, “People don’t see how much a
government job pays because they have in mind that the above income will also
come and not only that but also socially strengthens the family in which
someone has a home.” Be a government employee. Be it a policeman or a
Patwari, he is capable of solving not only his problems but also those of other
places. And if you are a clerk, then you are a gold digger, then in a country
like Pakistan, there is no peace.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the
federal government alone can employ 663,000 employees, of whom 585,000 have
been recruited.

Attractive private-sector jobs in Pakistan also have
their own story

 

The
statistics of the governments of the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan are
different. Ninety-five percent of these employees are in grades one to sixteen
and five percent are in grades seventeen to twenty-two. In Pakistan, government
jobs above 17th grade are considered attractive.

 

How attractive is the private sector?

 

Noman
Aqil is a Lahore resident who passed the Punjab Civil Service Commission exam
in 2015 and got a 17th-grade government job. But within three years, he quit
his job.

 

Commenting on the decision, Noman Aqil said, “It was
not my job. If you are a very honest person, then a government job in Pakistan
is probably not your job. Even if you are an officer, your creativity cannot be
more than a clerk.

 

“I didn’t see anything in it except a salary and a
fixed job, and then working among people whose mental level is higher than
making money, so I quit that job and Focus on your Ph.D. I will do some kind of
research work related to my education.

 

According to the factbook of the CIA, the number of
people employed in Pakistan is more than 50 million. Of these, 43% are in the
agricultural sector. Twenty percent are working in factories in one way or
another, while 36 percent are in the services sector.

 

Attractive private-sector jobs in Pakistan also have
their own story. Where no company is equal to being a candidate for an
executive position compared to a 17th-grade government job. While government
employees think that the salaries of the private sector are more attractive
than them.

Dr. Qais says information technology and artificial
intelligence will be the biggest enemies of jobs soon.

 

Dr.
Qais looks at it from another angle: “If you look at the middle class and
the lower middle class in both fields, their situation is almost the
same.” Where in the corporate sector in Pakistan do employees have the
rights that are of international standard, salaries are a bit higher because
there is no job security.

 

He says low-paid government employees cover it with
higher incomes and their salaries increase almost every year, while the private
sector is deprived of such benefits. As long as you don’t provide social
security in both areas, you will at least make a difference in the distribution
and distribution of unequal wealth. This debate will continue.

 

The
Enemy of Technology Employees

 

Dr. Qais says that soon, information technology and
artificial intelligence will be the biggest enemies of jobs, whether in the
public sector or the private sector.

“Because the combined use of the two will further
reduce the need for manpower in the future.” Therefore, the government
should provide an environment for people to do private business and give
priority to improving their skills. Besides, I do not see any way forward.