ISLAMABAD: Pakistan sent 336,442 workers abroad between January and July 2025, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar remaining the top destinations, the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment data said.
The data shows mixed trends across Gulf countries. Demand for Pakistani labour in Saudi Arabia and Qatar rose significantly, while manpower exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman dropped.
Saudi Arabia received 242,337 Pakistani workers during the period — a monthly average of 40,389 compared to 37,713 last year when 452,562 workers travelled to the kingdom.
Similarly, 26,448 workers went to Qatar in the first half of 2025, compared to a monthly average of 3,401 in 2023 when 40,818 workers were sent over the entire year.
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In sharp contrast, only 13,865 workers travelled to the UAE and 8,467 to Oman in the same period, reflecting a steep decline from 2024 figures. Last year, 64,130 workers went to the UAE and 81,587 to Oman.
Changing trends beyond the Gulf
Fluctuations were also seen in the UK and US. Between January and July 2025, only 2,595 Pakistani workers went to the UK, averaging 432 per month, compared to 13,695 last year.
Meanwhile, 584 workers went to the US — a slight increase from the monthly average of 89 in 2024 when a total of 1,077 workers travelled there.
Overall situation
The total number of Pakistani workers sent abroad in the first six months of 2025 averaged 56,073 per month, down slightly from 60,615 per month in 2024 when 727,381 workers left the country.
Migration experts believe the trend could pick up in the coming months if Gulf states, particularly the UAE and Oman, ease their policies.
Barrister Major (retd) Muhammad Sajid Majeed, who provides immigration services, told Urdu News that Gulf countries were now turning to cheaper labour from Bangladesh and India.
“In search of a better future, workers are heading to countries where income, benefits, and legal protection are better. Now people are even willing to spend more to go to the UK or the US,” he added.
He also pointed out that a lack of social training among Pakistani workers often keeps them off the priority list of host countries.
“People are not taught how to behave when they work abroad. Due to the unethical behaviour of some individuals, foreign countries sometimes prefer labour from other nations instead of Pakistan,” he said, urging the government to launch proper training programmes for workers going abroad.