Dr. Nasra Shah participated (online) as a distinguished speaker in a discussion panel organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad on “Migration in Post-COVID South Asia” on 7th December 2022. In her comments, she noted that on average, more than half a million migrant workers from Pakistan went overseas annually during the last decade. This number declined to less than half in 2020 and 2021 but has recovered to pre-covid levels. The skill level of Pakistani workers has remained persistently low for the last 50 years while the demand for such workers is declining in the major destinations, especially the Gulf region. She highlighted that Pakistan does not have an updated legislative framework to guide migration policy. A host of issues including the working and living conditions of foreign workers need to be addressed for maximizing the benefits of migration for the country as well as the migrants and their families.
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