LAHORE: Pakistan’s unemployment rate remains above 7.0 per cent, with nearly six million young people unemployed. Amid these conditions, growth in the industrial and services sectors is insufficient to generate enough jobs, making freelancing one of the most viable options for Pakistanis to earn a livelihood and contribute to the economy.
Talking to The News, Chairperson of the Pakistan Freelancers Association (Pafla) Ibrahim Amin said young people and students could build successful careers and develop income streams by offering their services through professional networking sites and freelancing platforms emerging around the world.
He said an individual could start earning in dollars within six to eight months of acquiring in-demand technical and soft skills, provided they remained dedicated and put in sustained effort. Freelancers could continue to grow their careers by upgrading their skills and knowledge. Those with an IT background could enter the freelancing market even earlier and start earning as soon as they secured their first client, he added.
With proper strategy and planning, stakeholders could train 1 million freelancers within a year and help them enter the global freelancing and gig economy, which has expanded steadily since the Covid-19 pandemic, Amin said.
At present, Pakistan has nearly three million full-time and part-time freelancers, making it home to the world’s fourth-largest freelancer population, according to market estimates. In the outgoing financial year, the freelancing community brought $1.76 billion in foreign exchange into the country, according to official data, outpacing many industries in terms of export receipts despite challenges including internet disruptions and electricity load-shedding.
Amin forecast that Pakistani freelancers earned more than $175 million in July, marking an increase from the preceding month and the same month a year earlier. He said the growth trend could lift annual inflows from freelancers’ earnings to $2.5 billion, provided Pakistani freelancers remained active.
Highlighting the challenges facing the sector, he said the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) is eliminating some tasks and assignments traditionally performed by freelancers. At the same time, AI tools and applications were creating opportunities for new digital workers to acquire AI-related skills and develop alternative sources of income.
He said the working environment and opportunities for freelancers in Pakistan are gradually improving. The planned launch of 5G services, the establishment of e-Rozgar centres and the growing number of private workspaces can help freelancers improve productivity and strengthen their presence on global marketplaces.
Amin said the government is also playing an increasingly important role in facilitating freelancers by improving access to banking services and supporting skills development programmes for aspiring digital workers. Several non-governmental organisations were also providing training in IT, creative fields and e-commerce to a sizeable number of people, he added.
He recommended that the government, NGOs, industry stakeholders and a representative freelancers’ association establish a common platform to formulate a national strategy and set long-term goals for developing Pakistan’s freelancing ecosystem while addressing challenges faced by digital workers.
A significant number of freelancers in Pakistan continue to face payment-related issues. Pakistani freelancers also lack communication and business development skills needed to attract foreign clients and secure higher-paying assignments, he said.
Amin said Pafla is working to bring stakeholders together on a single platform to address issues faced by freelancers and equip them with the skills and knowledge, including financial literacy and access to financial services, needed to build companies rather than remain solo freelancers in the long term.
The association is also working to recognise freelancers’ services at the Governor House in Karachi on August 29 for their contribution as the “unsung heroes” of Pakistan.
