Pakistan must create up to 30 million jobs over the next decade to turn its youth bulge into an economic dividend or risk instability and outward migration, World Bank President Ajay Banga said in an interview with Reuters. Pakistan is entering the implementation phase of a 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) deal agreed with the World Bank last year, while also working with the International Monetary Fund to stabilise its economy. 'Generational Challenge'Pakistan needs to generate 2.5 million to 3 million jobs a year - roughly 25 to 30 million over the next decade - as millions of young people come of age, Banga said. The CPF commits around $4 billion a year in combined public and private financing from the World Bank Group, with roughly half expected to come from private-sector operations led by the International Finance Corporation. Infrastructure, primary healthcare, tourism and small-scale agriculture were labour-intensive sectors with the greatest employment potential, he said, adding that farming alone could account for about one-third of the jobs Pakistan needs to create by 2050.

Source: The Telegraph February 05, 2026 07:54 UTC