More than 11 million Pakistanis have left Pakistan since 1971 to pursue employment opportunities in different parts of the world. 4.2 million of the 11 million were labourers.
According to a report by the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment, 11,052,663 workers registered for overseas employment with the bureau between 1971 and November 2019.
While labourers topped the list, drivers came at number two with 1.3m people leaving the country to become drivers.
Meanwhile, the profession that saw the least amount of workforce export was that of photographers, with only 1,949 leaving the country for overseas employment.
Of the 11m manpower exports, 4.7m has been categorised as ‘skilled’ and 4.6m as ‘unskilled’.
Saudi Arabia has been the most popular destination among Pakistani workers seeking employment opportunities. The report says 5.4m Pakistanis registered as employees in the kingdom since 1971. Saudi Arabia also took in the most number of Pakistanis in 2019, with the figure standing at 294,156.
United Arab Emirates is second on the list with 3.8m Pakistanis working there while Oman (793,454) comes at number three.
