Spokesman Report
ISLAMABAD :Improving oversight of private employment agencies and advancing fair recruitment practices emerged as critical priorities for improving labour migration governance in Pakistan, participants at a national workshop on ILO Convention No. 181 emphasized. Convened by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD), the workshop enabled stakeholders to identify key regulatory and institutional gaps and build momentum for reforms aligned with international labour standards and national priorities.
The workshop was organized under the ILO’s project “Enhancing Partners’ Capacity on Decent Work and International Labour Standards for Labour Migration from Pakistan,” within the framework of Centres for Migration and Development (ZME) Pakistan, co-funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU).
Pakistan is one of South Asia’s major labour-sending countries. According to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE), more than 727,000 Pakistani workers migrated abroad in 2024, primarily to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Since 1971, over 10 million Pakistanis have accessed overseas employment through formal channels, generating billions of dollars in remittances that support economic stability and household resilience.
At the same time, labour mobility within Pakistan is extensive, with millions of workers moving across provinces each year through private employment agencies and labour contractors. While these intermediaries play an important role in connecting workers to jobs, weak regulation and uneven oversight expose workers to risks such as excessive recruitment fees, misinformation and unequal treatment, underscoring the need for a more coherent recruitment governance framework across both domestic and international labour markets
Geir Tonstol, Country Director of the ILO in Pakistan, noted that “ILO Convention No. 181, together with the ILO General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment, offers practical tools to strengthen worker protection, promote transparency, and improve accountability of recruitment intermediaries across labour markets.”
Maria-José Poddey, Country Director of GIZ Pakistan, emphasized that “Promoting safe and regular migration remains a shared priority. Germany and the European Union are committed to supporting Pakistan in strengthening regular pathways that are transparent, skills-oriented, and grounded in mutual benefit. This workshop is therefore not a standalone event. It is part of a broader mission to strengthen migration governance and align Pakistan’s systems with international labour standards.”
Sohail Khwaja, Joint Secretary Emigration, MOPHRD, stated that “ILO Convention No. 181 on Private Employment Agencies provides an internationally recognized framework to regulate recruitment and placement services across sectors and labour markets. While ratification of an ILO convention is a sovereign national decision, this workshop marks an important first step in a broader advocacy and consultation process to examine the Convention’s provisions, assess regulatory gaps, and explore its relevance within Pakistan’s governance context.”
The workshop marked the first step in a broader ILO-led advocacy initiative, supported by German Development Cooperation and the European Union under the GIZ ZME programme, to enhance institutional capacities on decent work and international labour standards in the context of labour migration from Pakistan.
Convention No. 181 (C181) is an international labour standard developed by the ILO’s constituents (governments, employers and workers) and adopted at the International Labour Conference. It establishes a comprehensive framework for the registration, licensing and effective regulation of private employment agencies, and for the protection of workers who use their services.
