ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is aiming to double its workforce deployments in Saudi Arabia to 1 million workers annually, a Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) official said on Monday.
Pakistan’s human resource exports to Saudi Arabia have already shown a steady rise over the past five years, according to the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment. The country sent 1.88 million workers to the Kingdom between 2020 and 2024, up 21 percent from 1.56 million workers sent during 2015–2019.
Pakistan’s remittances from the Kingdom climbed from $7.39 billion in 2020 to $8.59 billion in 2024, reflecting sustained demand for Pakistani labor. Pakistani officials say Islamabad and Riyadh are set to sign a wide-ranging economic agreement following a landmark defense deal signed in Sept. to enhance joint deterrence.
Naseer Khan Kashani, an acting secretary at the MOPHRD, told Arab News on Monday that Islamabad has been engaged in “extensive negotiations” with Riyadh to double the number of Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia in coming years, compared to around 500,000 Pakistani workers who go to Saudi Arabia annually.
“The government is taking a lot of initiatives, particularly, we are in talks with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding the total number of Pakistani workers going to Saudi Arabia annually will soon reach 1 million.
