Pakistan: Unemployment rate surged from 5.8 pc to 6.9 pc under PM Imran Khan's first-year tenure

Islamabad [Pakistan] September 17 : Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Thursday informed that the unemployment rate in the country had jumped from 5.8 per cent to 6.9 per cent in the first year of Imran Khan's tenure.
The hike is for the year 2017-18 and 2018-19. In absolute terms, the number of people actively looking for jobs increased to 4.71 million in FY18-19, Dawn reported.
The report also stated that the increase in unemployment was observed in the case of both males and females, with the male unemployment rate rising from 5.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent and female unemployment rate jumping from 8.3 per cent to 10 per cent.
The survey also showed that the increase in unemployment was more pronounced in rural areas where it surged to 6.4 per cent from 5 per cent.
The sharper escalation in rural unemployment is attributed to higher female unemployment, which spiked to 8.5 per cent from 5.9 per cent during the period under review, Dawn reported.
These numbers came weeks after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government completed its three years in the country. The PTI-led government by Imran Khan came to power in 2018.
Earlier reports also suggested that Prime Minister Imran Khan has failed to achieve what his party had promised to the people in its 2018 manifesto, local media reported.
The on-ground reality in areas where the government has promised to work accurately seems fragile and Imran Khan's ignorance could be observed in these areas, The News International said.
Meanwhile, experts also say that a famine-like situation may arise in Pakistan due to the scarcity of water across the country if the issue is not resolved timely, Geo News reported. As per the report, water scarcity in the country has set alarm bells ringing after rivers have dried up due to low rainfall.