Why Pakistanis struggle to compete for global jobs

The magnitude of the challenge

Muzamil opens by acknowledging the response to his previous videos on this topic. Over 500 comments on the first, more than 1,700 on the second. “I did not expect this to resonate so deeply,” he says. But the resonance points to something bigger: the hunger is there. The appetite to escape, to grow, to become capable of globalizing yourself is real.

“This is not something people would have even entertained five, eight, or ten years ago,” Muzamil says. “Back then, if you told anyone you could earn money without a company, without digital work, they would not have taken you seriously.”

Reframing the real problem

What struck Muzamil in the comments was how one criticism kept surfacing: people accusing him of selling a course, of saying you need external learning to get global jobs. But that is not his point.

“I am not coming to sell you a course,” Muzamil says. “I am coming to talk about something I have thought about constantly for the last three years. I have seen this firsthand with a thousand people: in podcasts, offline in Dubai, offline in America. This is a discussion I want to have with CEOs, founders, Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis alike. Not a quick fix. The real challenge is this: we need to challenge the central narrative before we move forward.”

Two kinds of responses

What emerged from the comments were two distinct patterns. The first: people selling courses, now positioning themselves as the answer to global employment. “They come and tell you: get jobs, earn dollars. But the first thing they do in their free time is sell that course.”

Then there was a second category. One comment stood out: “Those who can do, teach. Those who cannot, make courses about it.”

“A noble man made a point,” Muzamil says. “Teaching people how to earn is the easiest way to make money.”

It is not a Pakistan problem

But here is the crucial insight: this is not uniquely Pakistani. “When an economic crisis hits and livelihoods collapse entirely, you see this globally. Not just in Pakistan.”

The pyramid schemes, the quick-money offers, the scams all appear. But so does the desperate hunger. People get beaten. One path is courses and education systems. The other is systems that should exist but do not.

“The emotion is clear,” Muzamil says. “This problem is global. Not a Pakistan-specific issue. This is the world at large. Just that in Pakistan, you are seeing it compressed, accelerated.”

The shape mismatch

Muzamil reframes the entire problem differently. “The first thing I want to be clear about: I am not bringing a course. I am not coming to sell you something. I am bringing some data. Because I have this problem on my mind.”

Think of it this way: you are a square. The global job market is a triangle. “If you showed people this data a year before, they would say: my friend, you cannot earn without a computer or digital work.”

But that is not true now. What he has observed is something else. “I have seen 500-plus people. I have seen a thousand people. I have seen a thousand people sit with me and talk about this. Literal conversations with CEOs, with founders, from Kazakhstan, Taiwan, America, Canada, Germany.”

A professor from Cornell University reached out. A director from a think tank in Islamabad. What he realized: “Government and policy affect how you are evaluated. This is a view you can defend. This is passion and the energy of the 99 percent.”

Statistics on youth and growth

The data is stark. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the last census and digital census: available on their website.

“In Pakistan, every year 500,000 young people reach 18 years of age. And that number is growing. Over the next 15 years until 2040, that becomes 8.7 million annually. This is a massive number.”

And this number is important. Why? Because 18 is when youth enters the job market. “This is adulthood. This is the age that shapes societies. When you have a production-age population here, but smaller young populations elsewhere worldwide, you have something exceptional happening.”

But very young children are reaching Pakistan too. “This is good. And because of this compressed timeframe, working-age populations are falling worldwide. But smaller youth populations are reaching Pakistan.”

The real issue is education systems

“So you have many things in this category visible to you. You get immediate schemes too. You see scams. In Pakistan too we saw that you know. People are being beaten. One path. And others whether they be courses or education systems as a whole. Because its marketing and all this was a massive difference.”

The difference is systemic. “When an economic crisis hits and livelihood systems are completely destroyed, the world is damaged. Not just Pakistanis. So you have many of these things.”

“What I want to be especially clear about is this. The first thing is: I am not a course. I am not coming with any solution. I am not teaching anything. I am not coming to say: my friend Muzamil Hasan will teach you this. How do you save data using Python?”

“Science becomes possible. So the first thing you need to be clear about is this. I am not coming to sell you a course. I am trying to sell you on understanding the shape of the problem.”

Muzamil has thought about this constantly for the past three years. He has presented it in podcasts, discussed it offline in Dubai and America.

“The issue is this: if there is one thing that keeps me up at night, it is this problem. I have even brought it to my podcast. I have seen a thousand people. And I have seen only a few.”

The structure of transformation

“More people sitting and talking about this is the main discussion. From different CEOs to founders. From founders to employees. From executives to freelancers. You need to understand the root of this problem.”

“And before I go deeper, this is the difference between today’s and tomorrow’s videos. In this, there are two kinds of comments that I want to address from inside: but if the first comment was no, see. That was just selling her course. Now it’s come, and she is telling people: friends, get jobs and earn dollars. So this next thing that he does in his free time is: he will do this course. He will sell it.”

“In this, there was a gentleman’s comment. He said whoever can teach. That is, whoever cannot do any work himself, he starts teaching. Another noble man: this is the easiest way to earn money. He tells people the way to earn money. Is this for now? Once I understood where these emotions are. It is coming from this. It is only for Pakistan. It is no problem. It is a global problem.”

Pakistan is not alone in this crisis

“When an economic crisis comes and livelihood is completely destroyed. The world is damaged. Not just Pakistani damaged. So you have many of these things. Things are visible. You get immediate schemes. You see ghotaals. You saw in Pakistan too that you know. People are beaten. One path. And others whether they be courses or collective education system should be. Because of its marketing and all this is a huge difference.”

What must change

“So I want to specially talk about this. So the first thing is: I am. I am not bringing a course. I am myself for you. I am not teaching anything. I am not coming to say to you.”

The real solution, Muzamil argues, is not more courses. It is rethinking education itself.

Shape, not skills

“The thing you need to understand first and foremost is this. I am coming inside and you try to sell you on a course. Because I know you have a bad taste and you come with good reason. But I want to say this. The thing about education. You have something in front of me. I want to keep statistics. Because I have this. Problem, do not think much. The last three years and I literally I know you. If there is one thing that keeps me up at night. That is the problem stated. I have even brought it to my podcast. I have literally offline Dubai, America. Literally, literally, just for fun, I have seen a thousand More people sitting and talking about this. This is a discussion.”

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