1,667= 30,000? Police constable exam in Pakistan amid unemployment crisis

Pakistan Police Constable Exam: More than 30,000 people turned up to take a written test for Islamabad's police force.

Amid financial crisis and increasing unemployment in Pakistan, thousands of candidates sat on a stadium ground to appear for a written test for recruitment for the post of constables in Islamabad Police. More than 30,000 people turned up to take a written test for Islamabad's police force and were made to sit on the ground for the written test that was conducted at the Sports Complex in Islamabad on Saturday, local media reported.

Pakistan Police Constable Exam: People ride a motorbike at sunrise on New Year's Day in the city of Lahore. (AP)

According to Islamabad police, at least 32,000 male and female candidates from all over Pakistan took the written examination for the 1,667 vacancies. The police constable's posts have been lying vacant for the last five years. The turnout reflected the issue of increasing unemployment in the country.

Over 31% of the country’s youth is currently unemployed, according to a report released by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in 2022. Of this, 51% are females while 16% are males. Many of the unemployed have professional degrees. The data also showed that nearly 60% of Pakistan’s population is less than 30-years-old, while the current unemployment rate is 6.9%.

The economic condition of Pakistan worsened following the devastating floods last year. Adding to it, the country also faced political instability as former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted from the position last year. The floods affected more than one-third of the millions of people living in Pakistan following which the country had to turn to the global stage for financial assistance. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) came to the rescue of the nation but with conditions.

The IMF has advised Pakistan to reduce its expenditure before the ninth review of the loan, news agency Reuters reported.