PAKISTAN LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO REVERSE BRAIN DRAIN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001712

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EINV EAID PGOV PK
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO REVERSE BRAIN DRAIN


1. (SBU) Summary: On July 15, President Zardari launched the
President's Program for Care of Highly Qualified Overseas Pakistanis
(PPQP). This program plans to integrate the skills and talents of
expatriate Pakistanis back into Pakistan in an attempt to "reverse
the brain drain." The government will pay airfare and stipends for
overseas Pakistanis to come work on either a short-term or long-term
basis while employers will pay for lodging expenses. In one week,
the PPQP website has received over 130,000 hits with 893 highly
qualified Pakistanis registered and 33 employers listed. If the
PPQP is successful, it could become a huge drain on the GOP budget.
End Summary.


2. (SBU) On July 18, EconOff discussed the PPQP with Secretary of
Labor Malik Asif Hayat, Joint Secretary of Labor Shah Rukh Nusrat,
and Representative from the President's Secretariat Hashaam Riaz
Sheikh. They explained that the GOP is looking to harness the human
capital of overseas Pakistanis to help rebuild the Pakistani
economy. The PPQP will be managed by the Ministry of Labor and
Manpower with guidance from the President's Secretariat.


3. (SBU) The Ministry of Labor and Manpower will divide potential
employees into two categories: those willing to stay and work in
Pakistan for over 10 months (long term),and those willing to work
from anywhere from two weeks to 9 months (short term). The GOP
plans to provide airfare and a weekly stipend for the expatriate
employees until they receive their first paycheck. The stipends run
from Rs. 50,000 (USD 610) to Rs. 75,000 (USD 915) a week and could
last several months depending on the individual arrangement. The
employer is expected to arrange and pay for lodging for the
employee.


4. (SBU) The PPQP will accept skilled Pakistanis from all fields
and professions but is particularly focusing on finance, education,
health, and engineering. Candidates must have at least 16 years of
education (i.e. the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in the
United States). The Ministry of Labor will match prospective
employees with employers on a weekly basis. It will also email out
a weekly newsletter with information on new jobs and different
sectors in Pakistan to all those registered in the database.


5. (SBU) The PPQP's primary recruitment tool is its new website
which allows prospective overseas Pakistanis to input their areas of
expertise and other qualifications. One week into the program, it
has already received over 130,000 hits with 893 highly qualified
Pakistanis registered and 33 employers recorded. The registration
form is quite detailed and asks for previous employment history and
educational background as well as personal information such as
passport number, date of birth, address, and religion.


6. (SBU) Secretary Hayat anticipates that the federal government
will be the biggest user of the PPQP as he feels it is in dire need
of highly-skilled, technical experts. Secretary Hayat said he would
like to use this website and framework for future recruiting for all
GOP positions and expand the program to Pakistani residents as well.
He expects the PPQP to grow rapidly.


7. (SBU) Hayat asked for U.S. support in the form of technical
assistance, such as improving the website to make it more advanced.
He cited U.S. companies such as Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com as
models for a larger, more complex GOP job recruiting website.


8. (SBU) Comment: The GOP officials were very excited about this
program. Sheikh told EconOff that he receives calls on a daily
basis from Pakistani-Americans working on Wall Street and elsewhere
who are looking for ways to contribute to Pakistan in a more
meaningful manner than just donating money and sees the PPQP as the
answer. The GOP has not allocated funds for the PPQP in the
2009-2010 budget. However, the Ministry of Labor has asked for
money for the PPQP to come out of the Public Sector Development
Program, which was allocated almost USD 7.9 billion this fiscal
year. If this program is indeed successful and if the federal
government is the main employer, then, of course, the GOP will be
paying for the airfare, stipend, lodging, and salaries of hundreds,
possibly thousands of overseas Pakistanis. Depending on the level

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of expertise acquired, that may or may not be a good deal for
Pakistan's overburdened exchequer. End Comment.


FEIERSTEIN