Three-year quota creates state-backed pathway to Europe as Pakistan sees record emigration, rise in irregular routes
Pakistanis at Lahore airport. PHOTO: AFP/File
ISLAMABAD:
Italy has opened a rare legal pathway for Pakistani workers to Europe by allocating a 10,500-job quota over the next three years, a move officials say could help curb illegal migration.
Under the arrangement, 3,500 Pakistanis will travel to Italy each year for work under seasonal and non-seasonal schemes, according to the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.
Of the annual quota, 1,500 workers will be hired under seasonal arrangements, while 2,000 will be placed in non-seasonal jobs.
The allocation makes Italy the first European country to formally open its labour market to Pakistan through a quota-based mechanism. Officials say it could set a precedent for similar agreements with other European states.
The development comes as outward migration from Pakistan accelerates sharply.
Nearly 2.9 million Pakistanis left the country over the past three years, driven by low wages, high inflation, unemployment and rising education costs.
The Economic Survey 2024–25 shows that more than one million Pakistanis went abroad for work in a single fiscal year, underlining the growing reliance on overseas employment and remittances.
Officials say the Italian quota offers a legal, structured alternative to irregular migration, which has surged in recent years.
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Illegal migration to Europe jumped 280% in 2022, with thousands of Pakistanis attempting dangerous journeys through Libya, Egypt and other transit routes.
Authorities say many migrants fall prey to smugglers and risk detention, deportation or death while crossing the Mediterranean.
By providing state-backed access to Europe, the Italy deal is seen as a way to reduce desperation-driven migration and channel workers into regulated routes.
Italy has allocated job quotas for Pakistani workers in shipbreaking, hospitality, healthcare and agriculture.
Positions include welders, technicians, chefs, waiters, housekeeping staff, nurses, medical technicians, farm workers and agricultural labourers, ministry officials said.
The scheme targets skilled and semi-skilled labour, aligning worker demand with Italy’s labour shortages.
Punjab, Pakistan’s largest source of overseas labour, is expected to benefit most. Official records show the province has sent more than 7.2 million emigrants since 1981.
It is followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
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Studies show around 40% of Pakistanis, especially in urban areas, express a desire to leave the country, adding urgency to the need for safe and legal migration channels.
Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Chaudhry Salik Hussain said the quota was secured after sustained diplomatic engagement, including a special request to Italian authorities.
Calling it a “major milestone,” he said the agreement opened new doors for Pakistani workers in the European labour market.
He added that overseas Pakistanis remained “the backbone of the national economy.”
Officials say momentum is expected to continue.
The second meeting of the Pakistan-Italy Joint Working Group is scheduled for February 2026 in Islamabad. Talks will focus on implementation and the possibility of expanding the quota.
For a country that has seen more than 13.8 million people emigrate since 1981, Italy’s move signals a potential shift from illegal, risky journeys to legal, skills-based mobility backed by the state.
