Saudi Arabia has emerged as the top destination for Pakistani migrant workers in 2025, accounting for more than 70% of all overseas job registrations in the first half of the year, according to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BE&OE).Â
From January to June 2025, 242,337 Pakistanis registered for employment in Saudi Arabia, driven by the country’s infrastructure projects under Vision 2030, creating demand for both skilled and unskilled labor.
This shift marks a change in Pakistan’s labor export trends, traditionally dominated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In the first half of 2025, only 13,865 workers were registered for the UAE, down from over 229,000 in 2022, representing a 94% decline in just three years. The drop comes as Gulf labor markets adjust post-Covid, with the UAE focusing more on localization and technology, along with stricter immigration policies that have led to visa rejections for many Pakistani workers.
Overall, 336,442 Pakistanis registered for overseas employment in the first half of 2025. Of these, 200,882 were laborers, making up nearly 60% of the total registrations. Drivers were the second-largest group, with 73,342 registrations, indicating strong demand in the Middle East for service and transport workers.
Skilled trades also saw significant demand, with notable registrations in professions such as electricians (3,599), technicians (6,246), and plumbers (1,237). Meanwhile, white-collar migration remains modest but steady, with 2,884 engineers, 1,869 doctors, 752 nurses, and 3,180 accountants registering for employment abroad.
Other Gulf countries are also seeing growing interest, with Qatar receiving 26,448 workers in the first half of 2025 and Bahrain posting strong figures, with 18,679 registrations, on track to surpass previous years. In 2024, Bahrain saw an 88% increase in migration, with 25,198 workers compared to 13,345 in 2023.
Remittances from Gulf countries remain a crucial source of income for Pakistan. In June 2025, Pakistan received $3.41 billion in remittances, down from $4.05 billion in March. Saudi Arabia contributed $823.2 million and the UAE $717.2 million, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.
Beyond the Gulf, countries like Turkey and Germany are becoming key migration destinations. Turkey saw 1,688 workers in the first half of 2025, a tenfold increase from its 2021 figures, while Germany attracted 523 workers, signaling a steady rise in skilled migration to Europe.
If trends continue, overseas employment in 2025 could approach or slightly fall short of the 727,381 workers in 2024, but may still remain below the record highs of 2022 and 2023, when global economies reopened aggressively after the pandemic.
