ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is undergoing a profound structural transformation that is quietly rewriting the country’s social contract. For decades, the backbone of the Pakistani economy was built on the grit of the self-employed and the invisible labour of unpaid family members working in fields and small shops.
However, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reveals a massive “civilisational shift” away from these traditional roots. The nation is rapidly evolving into a naukri-pesh Mulk — a country of employees. In 1996, salaried workers represented less than half of the labour force, but as of 2025, they have surged to 60 percent, meaning six out of every ten earners now rely on a monthly paycheck to survive.
This transition is doing much more than just changing job titles; it is fundamentally reshaping the Pakistani middle-class identity. As families move away from the unpredictable cycles of harvests or trade towards fixed monthly cycles, their entire psychological framework changes. Life is now measured in the steady rhythm of monthly budgets, school fee deadlines, rent payments, and the long-term hope for pensions.
This shift has created a new class of citizens with specific political expectations, who view economic stability not just through the lens of business profit, but through the lens of purchasing power and professional growth.
Despite this modernisation, a glaring paradox sits at the heart of the movement: Pakistan is creating a salaried middle class much faster than it is building the infrastructure to protect it. While the percentage of employees has hit record highs, the “security” that typically defines a middle-class life remains elusive. Most of this new workforce lacks formal, stable contracts and is left without the safety nets of health insurance or pension coverage. In an era of high inflation, these workers are particularly exposed, as their fixed incomes rarely keep pace with the rising costs of fuel and food.
The result is a country that has become deeply salary-dependent yet remains dangerously shock-prone. This new “wage-based survival” means that a single economic tremor can destabilise millions who no longer have the communal fallback of the traditional family-work model. As Pakistan continues this journey towards a formalised labour market, the challenge for the future will be moving beyond the mere “naukri” (job) and towards a system that provides the actual security required to sustain a modern middle class.
