Tackling Unemployment in Pakistan through Effective Government Policy Implementation and Governance: A Public Administration Perspective

Abstract

Unemployment remains a major socioeconomic and governance challenge in Pakistan, affecting economic stability, poverty reduction, youth development, and inclusive growth. This study examines unemployment from a public administration perspective, focusing on the gap between government policy formulation and effective implementation. The study adopts a qualitative, descriptive, and analytical research design based on secondary data obtained from government reports, labour force statistics, International Labour Organization publications, and relevant policy documents. The findings indicate that Pakistan’s unemployment rate increased from 6.3% in 2020–21 to 7.1% in 2024–25, while the number of unemployed people rose from approximately 4.5 million to 5.9 million. Youth unemployment, gender disparities, skills mismatches, rural employment constraints, and informal working conditions emerge as important concerns. The analysis further highlights institutional fragmentation, inadequate interdepartmental coordination, limited outcome-based monitoring, and weak accountability as challenges that may undermine the effectiveness of employment programmes. The study argues that sustainable employment generation requires evidence-based planning, clearly defined institutional responsibilities, market-oriented skills development, support for entrepreneurship, and stronger coordination among federal, provincial, district, and local institutions. It also emphasizes the importance of gender-responsive policies, rural economic diversification, and monitoring systems that assess job quality and sustainability rather than merely counting employment opportunities. The study concludes that a coordinated, transparent, and results-oriented public administration system can strengthen employment policy implementation and contribute to reducing unemployment in Pakistan. Since the research relies on secondary sources, its findings represent an analytical synthesis rather than causal proof.