OEC plans media campaigns to ensure jobs for skilled workers abroad

ISLAMABAD, Apr 22 (APP):The Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC) plans to carry out massive media
campaigns abroad to eventually engage foreign countries for ensuring employment
to Pakistan’s skilled manpower, that comes out annually by over 0.35 mln.
The OEC has worked out these campaigns, as an optimum way to check
drastic decline on this count after about 4.5 million foreign workforce was affected
in the wake of economic shifts in GCC since 2015.
Talking to APP, Deputy Managing Director (DMD) OEC Muhammad Jamshed said
promotional campaigns would be launched through foreign electronic, print and social
media as well as by OEC’s web portal.
He said “Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Libya, Malaysia and
South Korea have been identified as potential countries for these drives and department
is in constant contact with our high commissions on this count.”
“The campaigns via electronic media in Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) countries
are not possible and for the purpose, events, conferences and road-shows will be
arranged through community welfare attaché”, he elaborated the plan.
The country at the moment has on its strength over 4 million skilled manpower and
out of these 2.5 million meet international standards who can contribute significantly
through foreign remittance.
Muhammad Jamshed revealed that a project PC-I of Rs.125 million had been
evolved by OEC last year for immediate marketing and promotional activities through
State Life Emigrant’s Insurance Fund (SLEIF) Account of the Ministry of Overseas
Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOP&HRD).
It has been approved, in principle, by the Departmental Working Party (DWP)
of the Ministry and final approval is expected to be accorded in its next meeting,
scheduled to be held in next month, he added.
He said the MOP&HRD had been requested that in pursuance of OEC’s mandate
as assigned under the Emigration Ordinance, 1979 Rule 4 (1), it may be authorized to
utilize the funds from SLEIF Account.
Currently, billions of rupees are being accumulated in the SLEIF Account and these
fund can be utilized for all activities related to promotion of employment abroad, he
added.
Jamshed said OEC was perturbed over country’s human export decline and repatriation
of skilled work. The declined figures have come to 500,000 from around 950,000 in last
three years that was the highest figure in Pakistan’s history since OEC’s inception.
He said a proposal has also been moved regarding addition of Rs 200 in existing fees
of Rs 2,000 Manpower Welfare Fund, aimed at welfare of overseas Pakistanis that was
also under process.
He said timely release of required funds would help OEC to achieve advancement
of direct communication and diplomatic channels, besides ensuring qualitative training of
workforce, upgradation of its infrastructure for expeditious processing and to make sure
the repatriation of overseas was made as per work agreements.
Jamshed, however, regretted the paucity of funds and disagreement between
stakeholders were main hurdles in achieving the desired targets and goals.