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Decline in Engineering Careers
The decline in engineering careers in Pakistan, Engineering in Pakistan once was considered a prestige and promising profession, but evidence of its decline is visible in recent times. Economic instability, outdated education system, and corruption coupled with the large-scale mismatch between the market demands and the actual skill produced by the engineering institutions are the reasons for this decline. The regulatory body responsible for supervising the profession-the Pakistan Engineering Council-was also found involved in misdeeds which added to the crisis in the engineering profession.
Historical Context: The Rise and Prestige of Engineering
Engineering was one of the top professions chosen during the 1960s and 1970s in Pakistan. Due to the unprecedented thrust given for industrialization, the demand for engineers was high, and parents motivated their kids to go into the fields related to engineering, considering it a well-paying job with respect and prestige. This would result in universities like the University of Engineering and Technology, UET, Lahore, and NED University in Karachi amongst many others becoming the breeding ground for the nation’s brightest minds. However, that landscape changed drastically over the last couple of decades with the drastic decline in engineering careers.
1. Corruption in Pakistan Engineering Council
The Pakistan Engineering Council is the only regulatory body for the engineering profession in the country. While PEC is required to regulate the profession, practically the latter was involved in misconduct. It has been noticed that PEC provides private firms with personal data of engineers such as cell numbers and even email addresses.
It is mentioned in the rules and regulations of PEC that every firm which is registered in Pakistan should contain several registered or professional engineers. However, several firms directly contact fresher engineers and offer to purchase their licenses for a lump sum amount issued by PEC, which permits them to participate in the tender of government projects. PEC does not scrutinize these firms correctly and issues licenses to them without proper verification.
In 2024, the number of registered engineers in Pakistan is 380,026 in total. Alongside, there exist 111,275 contractors and 2,570 consultants. Despite this fact, the majority of the engineers remain jobless. If these firms were brought under proper regulation then probably no joblessness of the engineers would take place. PEC has to take strict action against these firms to eradicate the problem.
2. Economic Instability
The economy of Pakistan has gone through highs and lows, marked by high volatility of inflation, currency devaluation, and even political instability. The aforementioned factors have highly contributed to a shrinkage in the base of industrial sectors that employ a large number of engineers.
i) Shrinking Industrial Base:
Most of its manufacturing sectors were in decline, especially the textiles, construction, and heavy machinery industries. This shrinkage in industry lessens the demand for engineers in mechanical, civil, and electrical fields.
ii) Lack of Government Support:
More was expected in terms of infrastructure projects and industrial development to absorb the large number of engineering graduates. Instead, most government priorities have been short-term, with very little emphasis on sustainable development which could have emphasized the engineering sector.
3. Outdated Educational System
This is partly because the engineering curriculum at most universities has not been able to match the strides being made in the world of technology. Theoretical knowledge still makes up the great bulk of their emphasis, with too little balance between practical skills and research. It is this disconnection between education and the ever-evolving demands of the engineering profession that adds much to the downturn in careers as it stands.
i) Lack of Industry-Academia Collaboration:
The university-level learning has a severe gap concerning the industrial needs. This results in poorly prepared graduates for the job market.
ii) Outdated Teaching Methods:
Most of Engineering Institutions depend on outdated teaching methods with little or no exposure to new and modern tools, software, and techniques. This obviously sets the engineering graduates way back as compared to their international counterparts in acquiring skills and knowledge of the field.
4. Brain Drain
Brain drain is yet another important and critical factor for the engineering profession in Pakistan. Many of the brightest engineers leave the country for developed countries like the United States, Canada, and the Gulf States in search of better employment and a living environment. This causes an additional shortage of skilled engineers within the country and adds to the dent already existing in the profession.
i) Attractive Foreign Markets:
Better salaries, improved working conditions, and greater avenues for professional growth are offered by the developed countries. Consequently, there is a significant exodus of competent engineers from Pakistan, which further aggravates the talent crunch in the country.
ii) Lack of Research and Development Opportunities:
The scant research and development culture in Pakistan compels an engineer looking for innovation or specialization in state-of-the-art technologies to go out of the country.
4. Corruption in Pakistan Engineering Council
The PEC is the sole regulatory body of the profession of engineering in Pakistan. While the PEC is supposed to regulate the profession, it too has played a role in bringing down engineering as a career due to its involvement in acts of misconduct. First of all, the PEC has been found involved in providing private firms with personal data regarding cell numbers and email addresses of the engineers. It is the breach in trust and lack of proper oversight that have increased the downward spiral in the career of engineering.
According to the rules and regulations defined by PEC, each registered firm in Pakistan should have employed registered or professional engineers. Contrarily, most of the firms contact the fresh engineers and promise to purchase their PEC license against a lump sum amount that helps them in bidding on the projects announced by the government. PEC doesn’t scrutinize these firms and provides licenses without any checking.
As of 2024, there are 380,026 registered engineers in Pakistan while that of contractors is 111,275 and consultants are 2,570. Despite this fact, several engineers have remained jobless. If the firms are regulated accordingly there would be no jobless probably for the engineers. PEC shall take strict action against those firms to resolve the problem
Impact on the Economy
This fall in engineering careers carries wide and multiple implications for Pakistan’s economy, a lack of skilled engineers hampers industrial growth, reduces innovation, and curtails the ability to compete at a global level.
i) Reduced Industrial Output:
Fewer engineers are actually entering the industry and has resulted in slowing down the country’s manufacturing and infrastructure projects. It affects not only economic growth but also impinges on essential services that pertain to energy, transportation, and communication.
ii) Decreased Innovation:
Engineering is the backbone of innovation in any economy. A decline in engineering careers simply means that less development of new ideas, technologies, and processes is taking place, and hence, Pakistan is not able to progress along technological dimensions.
iii) Unemployment and Underemployment:
As a result of the oversupply of engineers, unemployment and underemployment have reached a high level. Many graduates are forced into jobs other than those related to their studies or low-paid jobs, which results in general dissatisfaction and wasted potential
Potential Solutions
The engineering profession, on the line of descent, demands a multi-faceted intervention in terms of educational reform, economic policy, and societal attitude change.
1. Educational Reform
i) Curriculum Update:
There is a dire need to revise the engineering curriculum and update it with the latest technologies, software, and practical work experience. This revision needs to be made through consultations between universities and industries so that exactly those skills are taught which the market demands.
ii) Industry-Academia Collaboration:
This will ensure that the linkage between universities and industries is reinforced to prepare graduates for the marketplace through internship programs, joint research projects, and industry-sponsored laboratories to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
iii) Improved Career Counseling:
Students who enter engineering need counseling on career choice, and the realities of the profession, and this can reduce the number of students entering without a genuine interest or aptitude in the field.
2. Economic and Industrial Policy
i) Government Investment:
Government investment in basic infrastructure projects and industrial development could create more opportunities for the employment of engineers. The sectors may include renewable energies, IT, and construction.
ii) Support for Startups:
The encouragement of entrepreneurship in the engineering fields can generate new opportunities for jobs and trigger innovation processes. These can include government grants, tax incentives, and engineering start-up incubators that make the job market more dynamic.
3. Reducing Brain Drain
i) Creating Local Opportunities:
Improvement in work conditions, salaries, and job opportunities in Pakistan can help reduce the draining of engineering human resources from the country. It may be better achieved by public-private partnerships, increased funding for research, and other support to local industries.
ii) Incentivizing Return Migration:
Initiatives that could attract expatriate engineers to come back to Pakistan might also prove rewarding, with tax breaks, grants to support research or appointment to a leadership position in certain key projects.
Conclusion
These reasons are basically attributed to fundamental educational, economic, and social factors. Targeted reforms and investments thus offer the possibility to reverse this trend and bring engineering back to its status as a cornerstone in the economic and industrial development of Pakistan. This can include upgrading education and securing jobs for their people, so as not to lose human resources through emigration. Only then will Pakistan be able to utilize the full capacity of its engineering manpower once more to attain progress and growth through innovation.
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