As demand for AI and data science talent surges worldwide, Pakistan continues to lose thousands of qualified women between graduation and employment. Unlocking that talent could become one of the country’s biggest competitive advantages in the digital economy.
Pakistan’s AI economy: Missing half its architects
By Samra Batool
ISLAMABAD, Aug 9 (APP): As demand for AI and data science talent surges worldwide, Pakistan continues to lose thousands of qualified women between graduation and employment. Unlocking that talent could become one of the country’s biggest competitive advantages in the digital economy.
Women make up only 17% of Pakistan’s IT workforce, and in AI, machine learning and data science, the figure is believed to be even lower. Although women continue to graduate with computer science degrees, only 14–17% enter the workforce, compared with 83% of their male counterparts. The gap reflects a broader national reality. Pakistan’s female labour force participation stands at 24%, among the lowest in the world, placing the country 153rd out of 156 on the Global Gender Gap Index. Women are earning the degrees. They are just not getting, or keeping, the jobs.
The imbalance is visible even before recruitment begins. When Haleema Mehmood, an HR professional at a multinational company, reviewed applications for a technical role, she received more than 900 resumes. “Fewer than 100 were from women. The numbers spoke for themselves” she shared while talking to APP.
The shortage comes at a time when demand for AI and data talent has never been greater. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, Big Data Specialists and AI and Machine Learning Specialists are the world’s two fastest-growing jobs, with Big Data roles projected to grow by 110% by 2030.
Pakistan, however, continues to leave much of its talent on the sidelines.
Research by McKinsey shows gender-diverse teams perform 25% better and produce 19% more innovative solutions. Yet many decisions involving hiring, healthcare and public services in Pakistan are still being shaped by overwhelmingly male technical teams.
The landmark Gender Shades Project at MIT found facial recognition systems developed by IBM, Microsoft and Face++ recorded error rates of less than 1% for lighter-skinned men, but more than 34% for dark-skinned women. The study underscored a simple reality: when the people building AI do not represent the people using it, the technology does not work equally for everyone.
For Haleema Mehmood, one intervention has consistently made the biggest difference.
“A female in a leadership role, leading the team,” she says.
The challenge, however, is not a lack of qualified women.
Sarah Tariq, Programme Head of Business Data Analytics at COMSATS University, talking to this scribe said, women currently account for 45% of enrolment in her programme. They perform on par with, and often outperform, their male classmates.
“The drop-off isn’t during the degree, it’s at the transition point into the job market,” she says. “Broader industry hesitancy, family expectations and confidence gaps cause capable women to opt out or be filtered out.”
“The gap isn’t talent or competence. It’s the system.”
That system becomes even harder to navigate once women enter the workforce.
Research shows female participation drops sharply between four and fifteen years into a career, the same period when many women marry and become mothers.
Faiza Yousuf, founder of WomenInTechPK, has watched the pattern repeat itself for years.
“Mid-career is exactly the time when women get married, have a family, and then have to raise that family,” she said talking to APP.
“If they do not have support at home and in the workplace, they end up sacrificing their careers to raise their family. We cannot penalise women for their role in bringing life into this world.”
Mahnoor, a data analytics student at COMSATS, entered the field almost by accident.
“I found this on my own, I wasn’t aware of this field until I got selected,” she says.
“Skill isn’t the gap, hesitation to speak up is.”
“Male classmates speak up faster even when unsure,” Mahnoor says. “Female classmates tend to wait until they’re fully certain before answering.”
As countries around the world compete for AI leadership, Pakistan cannot afford to leave half its potential workforce behind. Global experience shows that nations investing in women’s participation in technology benefit from greater innovation and a broader talent base. The question is no longer whether Pakistani women have the ability to succeed in AI. They do. The question is whether the systems around them are ready to let them.
