The Skills Gap

The impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution has sparked a new global debate on the role of government and the private sector in shaping the future of jobs as well as the need for new paths for collaboration between government and business.

Like other emerging markets, Pakistan cannot be a bystander in this debate as 60% of its population is below 30 years of age. Automation is hitting home with full force, both in manufacturing and service sectors, making traditional jobs redundant, and displacing workers.

Almost 80% of Pakistan’s youth in the labour force has low education attainment level and a poor skills base. The forces of automation and technological change threaten to generate widespread unemployment if urgent measures are not put in place to reskill and upskill the existing workforce as well as adopting new training techniques to skill the workforce of the future.