June 12, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 07, 1429

ISLAMABAD, June 11: Skilled construction workers get the highest wages in Islamabad and the unskilled the second highest among the capital cities in the country, according to the Economic Survey 2007-08.

It presents comparative figures of the wages earned by skilled and unskilled labour in construction industry in the federal and provincial capitals from the 1993 to 2007, showing steady increase in the wages but does not mention the purchasing power of the rupee which has been falling.

Islamabad is also known as the costliest city in the country.

A mason, counted among skilled labour, earned a daily wage of Rs525 in the federal capital in the outgoing financial year as compared to Rs450 in Karachi, Rs491 in Lahore, Rs442 in Peshawar and Rs450 in Quetta.

In the category of unskilled labourers, a labourer’s daily wage was Rs275 in Islamabad and Rs300 in Karachi.

CARPENTER: A carpenter’s current daily wage is Rs525 in Islamabad, Rs450 in Karachi, Rs388 in Lahore, Rs375 in Peshawar and Rs500 in Quetta.

LABOURER (Unskilled): A labourer’s daily wage in Karachi and Quetta is the highest of Rs300 followed by Islamabad where it is Rs275, in Lahore Rs250 and in Peshawar Rs200.

During the period 1999 to 2006, 11.33 million work opportunities were created. However, in 2006-07 only 0.70 million employment opportunities, of which the bulk was created in the rural areas (0.62 million) and only 0.08 million in the urban areas.

Thus indicating a weaker labour market situation, especially in the urban areas of Pakistan.