Export of skilled manpower could not only bridge the import and export gap, but also help Pakistan to immediately increase its foreign remittances from 20 to 40 billion dollars without accepting the dictates' of International Monitory Fund (IMF). However, in this connection, harmony is imperative between the government and all public and private sector departments concerned, said Engineer Ahmed Hassan Former Vice President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI).
Addressing an awareness session organized by Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF), he said that Pakistan is currently earning 20 billion dollars from exports while the same amount is dispatched by expats in the form of foreign remittances. However, he lamented that our import bill is around 75 billion dollars which is growing at much faster pace and we have to take necessary remedial measures to enhance exports and trim imports through viable policy interventions.
Continuing, he said that youth of productive age is a precious asset and we must equip them with proper and market driven skills in order to export them to different potential markets. He said that Pakistani skilled manpower is in great demand in USA, Europe and Gulf states. Similarly, we should also concentrate on the European countries where birth rate is negative for the last many years. He said that a special syllabus for each country should also be designed so that our skilled manpower could be absorbed easily in that specific society.
He stressed the need that private sector should also play its due role in this field and train manpower for sector specific needs. He also stressed the need to equip youth with high tech skills so that they could be easily absorbed in development countries in addition to catering to the immediate needs of the CPEC-related projects.