QUETTA: At least 180 young people from Balochistan have secured jobs in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries in less than a year under a provincial jobs and skills program, officials said.
The initiative, launched by the Balochistan Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority (B-TEVTA) in October 2024, aims to train and send skilled youth abroad.
Out “We have placed 180 candidates in Gulf countries so far, including 150 in Saudi Arabia,” B-TEVTA Managing Director Tariq Javed Mengal told Arab News. He said the authority screened 6,000 applicants from a pool of more than 12,000 last year.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE remain the top destinations for Pakistani workers. Official data shows more than 284,000 Pakistanis registered for jobs in Saudi Arabia during the first seven months of 2025.
Mengal, who visited Saudi Arabia in August, said the kingdom’s rapid growth under Vision 2030 was creating “ample opportunities” for both blue- and white-collar jobs.
The program has also offered training in Arabic and workplace conduct. Muhammad Haroon, 25, from Chaman, who secured a restaurant job in Dubai, said the courses were “suitable for middle-class and lower-middle-class youth.” Another candidate, Muhammad Faris, 29, from Kech, is preparing to leave for Qatar.
Remittances remain vital for Pakistan’s struggling economy. In July, inflows reached $3.2 billion, with Saudi Arabia contributing $823.7 million.
Mengal said Saudi firms are increasingly interested in Pakistani workers, including from Balochistan, with some already employed in Aramco subsidiaries and the hospitality sector.
He confirmed a second phase of the program would be launched soon, targeting jobs in the US, UK, Japan, and Korea.
“We want maximum participation,” Mengal said.
