As many as 173,824 skilled workers left the country to seek jobs abroad as against at least 214,039 people in 2003, according to official statistics available here. Of the 173, 824 people as many as 26,807 job-seekers went abroad only from Karachi. While 15,695 were sent by the Overseas Employment Promoters (OEP), 11,112 left the country by acquiring direct visas. Sources at Bureau of Immigration and Employment said that majority of skilled workers left the country in search for better opportunities.
Officials said the brain drain from the country had many reasons, including persisting unemployment, deteriorating law and order situation, corruption and poverty.
In 2003, a total of 214,039 unemployed persons, including 32,562 only from Karachi, went abroad. Out of them 22,585 were sent by the OEPs, while 9,977 left the country by acquiring visa directly.
Most of the people, going abroad, got jobs in the Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and others, while some of them were sent to South Korea and Malaysia also.
More than 975 people were sent abroad through the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC), Karachi office, in 2004, although the corporation had set the target of sending 1,000 persons abroad in 2004.
The OEC officials said that the target would be achieved as cases of many people were in process.
Sources said that due to unemployment, many people wanted to leave the country and seek employment in any rich country at comparatively low salaries.
People from India, Bangladesh, Philippine, Thailand and some other countries are known for working on minimum wages, which encourages the employers in the Middle East to hire the labour from these countries.
Sources said that under an agreement signed between Pakistan and Malaysia, about 300,000 Pakistani workers could get jobs in Malaysia.