The country’s informal sector employs more than 20 million home-based workers, including 12 million women. These workers can boost Pakistan’s crippling, debt-ridden economy if provided with the right incentives. It is unfortunate that most home-based workers are illiterate, poor and belong to the lower-middle class.
There should be training centres to teach them and get them ready to meet the ever-increasing challenges of the modern job market.
Ultimately, when these home-based businesses and workers are documented, it will give a much-needed boost to the GDP growth and generate hundreds of billions in additional tax revenue.
The government should address the common challenges faced by home-based workers because a welfare state aims at prioritising good governance, and formulating and implementing policies for the betterment of the masses. I cannot stress enough that Pakistan is in dire need of mainstreaming home-based workers and giving them equal opportunities, skills, training and social protection if we really want to progress as a nation. There will be consequences if we don’t do that.
SYEDA HADIA BAKHTAWAR
NANKANA SAHIB
Home-based workers
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