ACCORDING to the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), over 100,000 registered engineers are currently unemployed. This has far-reaching consequences and can be attributed, in part, to both government policies and the actions of engineering bodies, like the PEC.

One disheartening example of the repercussions of this unemployment is the practice of firms in Pakistan purchasing PEC cards from engineers for a relatively small fee of about Rs70,000 per year, without offering them job opportunities.

This makes the unemployment crisis worse, and undermines the integrity and professionalism of engineers in Pakistan. It is a situation that has raised questions about PEC strategies and policies in addressing the predicament.

The dire situation reveals that while Pakistan possesses a pool of talented engineers, their potential remains untapped due to this systemic problem. PEC’s lack of a concrete strategy to combat the issue has left many engineers in a limbo, battling unemployment and uncertainty.

Pakistan stands at a crossroads where urgent intervention is needed to combat the sale of PEC cards, and to create a fair and just job market for engineers based on merit and skills. The responsibility for rectifying this situation lies jointly with the government and engineering institutions.

By addressing these issues, we can restore trust, professionalism and a sense of hope. The engineering community deserves that. It wants to contribute to Pakistan’s progress, but what can unemployed engineers do? Together, we can overcome challenges, and set a course for a more prosperous nation. Let us do it.

Shahid Ullah Khan Tator
Dera Ismail Khan

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2023