Pakistan: How Much Money Freelancers Earned in FY2024-25?
Pakistan’s growing number of freelancers contributed $400 million in foreign exchange earnings through remittances during the outgoing fiscal year, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25, unveiled by the federal government ahead of the Budget 2025-26.
According to the economic survey FY2023-24, freelancers contributed $350.15 million to national exchequer.
The survey highlights the expanding role of the digital and freelance economy in strengthening Pakistan’s external account, as initiatives to support tech startups, online work, and digital skills training gain momentum.
The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has launched an ambitious plan under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) to establish 250 e-Rozgaar centers across the country by FY2027. This effort is part of the “Prime Minister’s Initiatives – Support for IT Startups, Specialized IT Training, and Venture Capital (Component-2)” project.
The centers are designed to facilitate freelance employment and entrepreneurship, with a goal to create 20,000 new jobs.
By the end of FY2025, 50 e-Rozgaar centers are expected to be fully operational.
Meanwhile, the National Incubation Centers (NICs) have made strong progress in the startup ecosystem. To date, the NICs have incubated over 1,900 startups, of which more than 960 have successfully graduated.
Collectively, these startups have generated over 185,000 jobs, secured Rs. 30.8 billion in investment, and reported revenues exceeding Rs. 27.3 billion. The initiative has also empowered over 12,000 women entrepreneurs.
Complementing these efforts, the DigiSkills.pk program has emerged as a cornerstone in equipping Pakistanis with freelance and digital skills. The platform has conducted over 4.55 million training sessions, with 72% male and 28% female participation.
Among the total, more than 50,000 overseas Pakistanis have also benefited from the training. As a result, DigiSkills-trained freelancers have collectively earned $1.65 billion in foreign income through December 2024.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2025/06/09/heres-how-much-money-freelancers-earned-in-fy2024-25/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
