China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has kick started the development of multiple projects across the country. The country has not received such a huge influx of investment before and this has caught its labour market short of qualified workers for many projects under CPEC. The lack of training and expertise of local labour force has increased costs and delayed the construction. Chinese companies that are operating in Pakistan have had to train Pakistani graduates in China before bringing them back to work on their projects. In 2015, the Chief Minister of Punjab announced that the provincial government will sponsor the training of Pakistani engineers in China.[i]
Pakistan sees its future in economic cooperation with China. In the last Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting in Beijing, more projects have been added under CPEC.[ii] Such positive developments indicate the willingness of Chinese companies to invest in Pakistan and the country expects that this trend will persist. While carrying plenty of optimism, it also places a challenge on Pakistan to adapt and mobilise its human resources.
