Skills development, labour market demand: ILO urges Pakistan to strengthen connection

The International Labour Organization has called on Pakistan to tie its skills training more closely to what employers actually need, given shifting job conditions. Speaking at an event called Skills for a Shared Future, held with the Punjab Skills Development Fund and the British Council, ILO country director Geir Tonstol said the country needs a fresh skills agenda to turn young people's potential into decent work. He pointed to digitalization, artificial intelligence, climate change and demographic change as forces reshaping the world of work.

The ILO noted that 28.4 per cent of young Pakistanis are neither in work, education nor training. The Pakistan Labour Force Survey 2024-25 puts youth joblessness at 12.8 per cent, roughly double the overall figure of 7.1 per cent. The same survey counts 4.9 million people aged 15 to 24 who have had technical or vocational instruction, split between 3 million men and 1.9 million women.

Roundtable participants called for more investment in lifelong learning so workers can keep their skills up to date throughout their careers. They also discussed a national skills passport as a way to recognise workers' current abilities and help people shift among employers, industries and nations. Separately, PSDF and the ILO signed a memorandum of understanding covering skills, labour-market research and policy dialogue, with the aim of supporting school-to-work transitions and better job prospects for women and men across the province.