Employment of women in rural areas better than cities
By Bushra Makhdoom

ISLAMABAD—Employment of women, both in urban and rural areas of the country has almost doubled during the last decade.
The increment in employment of females was recently recorded around 9.1 percent that was 4.6 percent in 1996, an official said, adding, female employment in the rural areas is better as compared to the urban areas.
The report, compiled for the period of 1995-96 to 2005-06, said overall employment in the country has increased from 34 to 47 per cent during the last 10 years with possibilities to move further in upward direction.
The report statistics show that overall employment of both genders in urban areas rose from 10.3 to 14.5 per cent during the period under review. The employment in rural areas increased from 23.9 to 32.5 per cent during 1995-96 and 2005-06.
Around 46.94 million people were employed in 2005-06 as compared to 42 million in 2003-04, thus 4.94 million work opportunities were created in two years.
The report said that job creation has became possible through pro-poor targeted policies and programs.
The employment generation has been higher in rural areas as compared to the urban ones due to the focus of the government on agriculture and livestock, especially dairy and milk production.
Experts also observe that robust growth in industry and services sector in urban areas during the last few years also resulted in rise of employment opportunities.
Consumer spending in various sectors has also significantly contributed to the increase in employment opportunities, an official said, adding that Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) schemes initiated in rural areas also add to job growth.