The number of Pakistani workers leaving for jobs overseas fell by a third in early 2026, as hiring across the Gulf slowed after the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Recorded departures dropped from 75,663 in January to 50,506 in March, a fall of 33.2%, according to a factsheet from the Gulf Labour Markets, Migration and Population programme, based on data from Pakistan's Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment.

A market built on the Gulf

The fall reflects how heavily Pakistan's overseas employment depends on the Gulf. In 2025, Pakistan recorded 762,499 worker departures: 70% went to Saudi Arabia, 23% to other Gulf Cooperation Council countries and 7% elsewhere. Gulf destinations accounted for 93% of all departures, so a hiring slowdown there reaches directly into Pakistan's main overseas jobs market.

The sharpest falls

Departures to Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait together fell by almost 60% between January and March, while departures to destinations outside the Gulf fell by only 15%. General labourers, about half of all Pakistani migrant workers, fell from around 46,000 to around 32,000. Departures among drivers and construction workers declined by 35%. Skilled and highly skilled workers fell by about 40%, compared with about 30% for unskilled workers.

Warning over what comes next

Researchers meeting in Lahore on 3 and 4 November warned the pressure may deepen. Dr Nasir Iqbal of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics told the migration conference that artificial intelligence and changing Gulf labour policies could affect seven out of ten jobs traditionally held by migrants, though he gave no timetable. The factsheet's author, Nasra Shah, warned that if the decline continued, families would lose survival income, the country would lose foreign exchange if remittances dropped, and unemployment could rise.