Around 250,000 Pakistanis went abroad during the first four months of this year in search of employment and a better future, according to documents obtained by Samaa TV.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar remained the leading destinations for Pakistani workers, while departures to the UAE recorded a sharp increase compared to last year.
According to the data, 136,488 Pakistanis left for Saudi Arabia during the first four months of the year. The kingdom remained the most preferred destination for Pakistani manpower seeking work opportunities overseas.
UAE departures rise sharply
The number of Pakistanis going to the United Arab Emirates also increased compared to last year.
Documents show that 52,500 Pakistanis left for Dubai during the whole of last year, while around 50,000 Pakistanis have already gone to Dubai in just the first four months of this year.
Qatar remained another major destination, with 25,500 Pakistanis moving there for employment. The data shows that 10,129 Pakistanis went to Bahrain, 3,000 to Turkey, 1,100 to the United Kingdom and 300 to the United States.
Another 850 Pakistanis moved to China, while 1,286 went to Greece, 1,283 to Iraq and 577 to Japan.
No departures were recorded for Greenland, Tanzania, Turkmenistan and West Africa.
Labourers form largest group
The majority of Pakistanis leaving the country were labourers seeking better wages. According to the report, around 150,000 labourers left Pakistan during the first four months of the year.
The emigrants also included more than 45,000 drivers, 9,500 cooks, 1,232 electricians, 818 mechanics, 1,537 operators, 1,070 welders and 116 artists.
A significant number of skilled professionals also left Pakistan for better employment opportunities. The data shows that more than 1,000 doctors left the country, with figures cited as 1,078 and 1,788 in the available documents.
The emigrants also included 2,000 engineers, 419 nurses, more than 1,600 accountants, 550 agricultural specialists and 525 computer or IT experts.
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