MILLENNIALS in Pakistan represent the generation living and raising children in the worst kind of economic conditions. The previous generation, called the boomers, tends to criticise the millennials for not being able to purchase a house, for having little or no savings, for having fun while being strugglers, for not working hard, for not being disciplined enough, and for having a poor sense of planning. This condemnation, however, is misplaced because it ignores many not-so-obvious ground realities.

Among the millennials, unlike the boomers, most households have more than one breadwinner, and, yet, they are not considered financially successful. It is not a generational complaint, but a rather serious matter resulting out of several economic changes in Pakistan over the last many years that have coincided with the professional careers of most millennials who joined the country’s corporate or industrial sector starting around 2005.

Things were made worse in more recent times by the Covid pandemic in 2019, severe floods in 2022, the Pakistan-India war in 2025, and the ongoing conflict across the Gulf and Middle East region.

These are all major disruptions that made global economic markets unstable, increased inflation, and raised the prices of even necessities.

Such pressures naturally forced more individuals within households to take part in the economic race, resulting in more women entering paid jobs. As the pool of job-seekers increased, the market failed to respond. In simple words, more people are now looking for jobs in a stagnant market.

Instead of being unnecessarily judgmental towards the millennials and blaming them for lacking in terms of being disciplined and poor planning, the boomers must try to be realistic.

Mariam Jabeen
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2026