28,920 female engineering graduates were residing in the country, of which, 8,146 (28%) were employed, 6,054 (20.9%) unemployed and 14,720 (50.9%) were out of labour force: Gallup & Pride Research reveals
(Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi) A joint research has been conducted by Gallup Pakistan and PRIDE, using data from Labour Force Survey 2020-21 on female engineering graduates (including individuals who have passed Bachelors, MS/M.Sc., M.Phil. or Ph.D. degree in any field of engineering) and their status in the labour market.
Gallup Pakistan and PRIDE have joined hands to analyze and disseminate useful and policy relevant economic and social research data for wider policy circles in Pakistan. The current series of Reports would be looking at Labour Force Survey 2020-21 which is a national survey conducted by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) to compile labour market statistics. The survey collected data from close to 99,900 households across Pakistan, giving district level representative results for the first time. Our current analysis is for Pakistan, with regional breakup.
Bilal Gilani, Executive Director at Gallup Pakistan explains the collaboration “Trained and educated females either being unemployed or not interested in work is a major issue requiring dialogue and discussion in Pakistan. This research shows that only 3 in 10 female engineers are working and 7 in 10 are not working. A typical engineer produced from a government university receives as high as 5 million Rs in subsidy. If these female graduates are not working this 5 million investment by government is a sunk cost. For a resource constrained country like Pakistan, this should be a source of concern for not just policy makers but also tax payers whose money is going to waste”
Dr. Umer Khalid, Director PRIDE highlights that “half of all female engineering graduates opt to remain out of labour force, and the substantial majority of these ‘out of labour force’ graduates are residing in urban areas and are married. This is indicative of the presence of a social trend of getting professional education in order to secure better marriage prospects. The government needs to review the policy of allocation of seats at least in the public sector engineering colleges/ universities to ensure value for money”.
Introduction
An analysis of the Labour Force Survey 2020-21 data has been carried out about the females with a degree in engineering (based on the response of such females who reported to have completed their education, including Bachelors, M.Sc., M.Phil., or Ph.D. degrees in any subject of engineering and those who are not currently enrolled in any institution.
In the national accounts, services of those having a degree in engineering are accounted for in a number of sectors, which includes the industrial sub-sectors of mining & quarrying and manufacturing and the services sub-sector of community, social and personal services.
These females with a degree in engineering are divided into three categories; (i) Employed, who are working in labour market; (ii) Unemployed, who are actively seeking work and are available for work); and (iii) Out of Labour Force, comprising of these female graduates who are not working, nor looking for work, nor available for work.
Main Findings
Analysis of the LFS 2020-21 data shows that a total of 28,920 female engineering graduates were residing in the country, of which, 8,146 (28%) were employed, 6,054 (20.9%) unemployed and 14,720 (50.9%) were out of labour force (Figure 1).
The analysis of the data for the three groups (employed, unemployed and out of labour force) by region (rural and urban), shows that around 21.1% of all engineering graduates resided in the rural regions in the country while 78.9% of them were in the urban areas. The analysis of the data shows that within the rural region, 43.9% of engineering graduates were employed, while around 36.3% were unemployed. The proportion of the engineering graduates who opt to remain out of labour force in the rural region was substantially lower (19.8%) than the national average (50.9%). The analysis with respect to urban areas shows that around 24.0% of female engineering graduates were employed, while 16.8% were unemployed. The major share of female engineering graduates remains out of labour force in the urban region at more than 59.2% (Table 1).
| Table 1: Status of female engineering graduates in Pakistan (numbers and percentages) | |||
| Status in Labour Force | Rural | Urban | Total |
| Employed | 2,674 | 5,472 | 8,146 |
| (43.9) | (24.0) | ||
| Unemployed | 2,211 | 3,843 | 6,054 |
| (36.3) | (16.8) | ||
| Out of Labour Force | 1,209 | 13,510 | 14,720 |
| (19.8) | (59.2) | ||
| Total | 6,094 | 22,825 | 28,920 |
| (100) | (100) | ||
| [21.1] | [78.9] | [100.0] | |
* The figures in parenthesis are column percentages, and those in brackets are row percentages.
** Note: Figures may not add up to totals due to rounding off
The comparison of the figures of employed engineering graduates, by region, show that the employment opportunities for the female engineering graduates are significantly higher in the urban areas (67.2%) compared to the rural areas (32.8%). The proportion of unemployed engineering graduates was lower in the rural areas (36.5%) compared to those in the urban areas (63.5%). On the other hand, out of the total number of engineering graduates who are out of labour force (14,720) – the predominant share is in urban areas (91.8%) compared to rural areas (8.2%) (Figure 2).
It is pertinent to mention here that around 64.2% of those engineering graduates who opted to remain out of labour force were married and 28.42% were never married. The analysis by age group shows that the highest share of all female engineering graduates is in the age bracket of 25-34 years (50.9%), followed by those in the age group of 35-44 years (21.7%).
Discussion
The analysis of the table depicting the distribution of female engineering graduates across rural and urban regions within Pakistan provides valuable insights into the employment patterns and labor force participation rates within different areas of Pakistan.
The issue of female engineering graduates/ engineers who remain out of the labour force after completing engineering education is a serious concern that warrants further exploration. The preceding analysis supports the phenomenon of ‘educated brides’ or in particular ‘doctor brides’ as has been documented earlier with respect to female medical graduates. This stems from the preference of middle-class urban families to have their daughters pursue professional education, to enable them to find a more suitable match for their marriage.
Additionally, the significantly higher share of the employed engineering graduates in the urban areas indicates better job placement prospects or more streamlined job markets in these areas in comparison to the rural areas. It is also important to consider the context and other factors that might contribute to these trends. Economic development, level of infrastructure, educational facilities, and overall job opportunities in a region heavily influence the employment patterns of engineering graduates.
In conclusion, the analysis of the data underlines the importance of targeted policy efforts to improve employment opportunities for engineering graduates, especially in rural areas where unemployment rates are higher. In addition, admission of females to public sector engineering universities at highly subsidized fees may be made conditional on their undertaking to serve in their chosen field after graduation.
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PRIDE welcomes collaboration with researchers to expand and further disseminate the findings from data series/ reports examining various aspects of Pakistan’s economy and labour market. If you have any ideas, please write to Dr Lubna Shahnaz (lubnashahnaz@pridepakistan.pk) CEO PRIDE for collaboration.
Wish to know more about the LFS 2021-22?
The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has been publishing the Pakistan Labour Force Survey as a regular feature since 1963. The 2020-21 round contains data on various socio-demographic characteristics of the country’s population and civilian labour force, like age, gender, marital status, education level, employment status, occupation, technical/vocational training, current enrolment, migration, disability, etc. The microdata available on the PBS website invites the researchers, policy makers, and data users of both public and private sectors. For more information on the Labour Force Survey 2020-21, and complete tables, please visit https://www.pbs.gov.pk/publication/labour-force-survey-2020-21-annual-report
Disclaimer: The views and inferences expressed in the article are that of the authors. This series, and many such initiatives, are internally funded by PRIDE. No outside country or local funding has been received for this current activity.