August 27, 2007	Monday	Sha’aban 13, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Aug 26: As government brainstorms its plan to provide decent employment to all, conditions on the ground are going from bad to worse, especially for women, in public as well as private sectors.

A draft report - Decent Work for All - prepared by the Federal Ministry for Labour and Manpower’s policy planning cell reveals that women are in an extremely disadvantageous position in terms of employment.

More than three-fourths of them have monthly income that is less than the minimum wage as compared to half of their male counterparts.

A graver matter is the plight of almost half of the females whose monthly earning is even less than Rs1,500. More than a quarter of males and two-thirds of females have monthly income of less than Rs2,500.

The regional analysis shows that a higher proportion of women earn less than minimum wage in both urban and rural areas as compared to men.

The earnings are substantially low in rural areas as a higher proportion of both males and females earn less than Rs4,000 a month. In urban areas, the proportion of such workers is almost 40 per cent.

According to the report, the main reason to work is to have enough earnings to support different household activities for a decent and comfortable living.

But in Pakistan jobs are neither decent nor they carry salary package sufficient to fulfil even the basic requirements let alone all needs. The result is that workers especially low-grade employees mostly live hand to mouth. The problem is more serious for women because, apart from them being employed on meagre wages, they also reportedly face discrimination and, sometimes, harassment at workplaces.

The draft report places NWFP at the top of the list of provinces in terms of unemployment figures, followed by the Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh.

It says that the unemployment rate in the country in 2005-06 was estimated at 6.2 per cent, showing an unemployed labour force of 3.1 million. Urban areas show relatively more unemployment, whereas rural areas have more under-employment.

Unemployment and under-employment is quite pervasive, as the underutilised labour accounts for a fifth of the workforce. Lesser remunerative and low productive work currently affects a significant proportion of the employed. Poor working conditions in significant workplaces are also not uncommon, the report says.

The labour and manpower survey shows that agriculture is the largest income and employment-generating sector of Pakistan’s economy. Major and minor crops, livestock and hunting account for 21.6 per cent of the GDP and employ 43 per cent of the total employed.

About two-thirds population of the country resides in rural areas and directly or indirectly depends on agriculture and allied activity for their livelihood.

The agriculture sector contributes substantially (60 per cent) to the export earnings; it also provides raw material to the industrial sector.

A higher and sustained growth, preferably more than five per cent, in agricultural production is imperative for absorbing growing labour force, sustaining macroeconomic stability and generating productive employment, thus reducing and eliminating rural poverty. In the very introduction, the draft stresses on availability of a productive work opportunity, being the most important fundamental right, for every citizen of a country. Recognition of this right is duly acknowledged in the constitution of Pakistan, the report says.

It also quotes article 38 of the constitution which states, “The State shall provide for all citizens, facilities for work and adequate livelihood with reasonable rest and leisure.”

In fact, this article also asks the state to provide social security by compulsory social insurance as well as basic necessities of life to those permanently or temporarily unable to earn livelihood.

The report claims that the government is focusing on fulfilling this constitutional obligation and creating conditions conducive for decent work, poverty reduction, human resource development.