Pakistan is experiencing a demographic moment that is both an opportunity and a risk. With nearly 68 per cent of the population under the age of 30, the country has a powerful human resource base.

But while our youth population continues to grow, so does their disillusionment. Despite expanding access to higher education, we are failing to equip young people with the skills they need to enter and thrive in the workforce. The result is an education–employment mismatch that is quietly undermining Pakistan’s growth prospects.

Over the past two decades, the higher education sector has expanded rapidly. Today, more than 240 public and private sector universities are producing over 500,000 graduates annually. Yet this growth in numbers has not translated into better economic outcomes. In fact, unemployment among educated youth reached 31 per cent in 2017–18 and remains worryingly high.

Pakistan’s job market is evolving. Employers in sectors such as IT, logistics, health and renewable energy are actively seeking candidates with digital skills, problem-solving ability, and adaptability. Yet these are precisely the skills our current education system fails to provide. According to firms in the tech industry, which reported over $2.8 billion in exports in FY 2024-25, the shortage of skilled professionals is now a major constraint to growth. This is a costly indicator of how underutilised human capital is........

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