Online freelancing grows in Pakistan, earnings reach $1b

[Zibago]

Online freelancing grows in Pakistan, earnings reach $1b
By Parvez Iftikhar
Published: April 10, 2017
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ISLAMABAD: It is well known that Pakistan is one of the top four countries with the highest number of online freelancers. Therefore, the recently launched e-Rozgar scheme in Punjab is a step in the right direction.

In his newspaper article, the Punjab IT Board chairman quoted a conservative figure of 150,000 Pakistani freelancers, earning combined revenue of roughly $1 billion. This fairly high number is despite the fact that so far the phenomenon of online freelancing in Pakistan has grown without any significant government support.

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One hopes that e-Rozgar centres would be the proverbial ‘first drops of rain’.

Hurdles to e-commerce

A big barrier to reaching the immense potential of online freelancing is the lack of literacy – both digital and conventional. Digitally literate online freelancers can operate even outside such centres with their smartphones. Therefore, providing basic digital literacy in schools is even more important. It will help not only online freelancing, but other e-commerce activities.

The online freelance market is a byproduct of e-commerce, which has various formats and business models. The one getting a lot of attention lately is the so-called ‘sharing economy’ (also called ‘collaborative consumption’).

Sharing economy is not really new. What is new is the internet’s ability to let everyone communicate easily with a very wide audience. The sharing economy’s business models thus leverage direct access to consumers, made possible by the internet, reducing business costs.

In sharing economy business models, typically the entire process is managed by a managing company (like Uber), which is not the actual service provider. Instead, the company is a facilitator, making safe and easy transaction possible.

To take care of the trust deficit among strangers, the managing company puts in place an independent bi-directional post-transactional review system for both sides to rate (or review) the other side.

Today, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sharing examples. Starting from collaborative online encyclopedias (Wikipedia), to sharing videos (YouTube), pictures (Instagram), cars (Uber, Careem), accommodation (AirBnB), rides (Lyft), bikes (Liquid, formerly Spinlister), household items (Snapgoods), even driveway spaces (ParkAtMyHouse), and peer financing, or crowd funding (Kickstarter) and so on.

Sharing economy

One reason why sharing economy is growing rapidly is that today’s youth are connected individuals, who have embraced broadband internet and try to get the latest smartphones that they can afford. However, most economies, including ours, are not ready for such disruptive new business models.

The current legislative and regulatory regimes were not designed for sharing economy. The issues which Uber and Careem are facing with the provincial governments in Pakistan are just the beginning. Many more similar challenges will come up in the near future.

This is not just in Pakistan. According to Digital Watch, there are court cases and rulings involving Uber in over 25 countries, most of all in the US itself. But as is always the case, things will surely settle down and the march of the technology will continue.

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Sharing economy contributes immensely towards the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in more ways than one.

For instance, all small businesses in the early years operate on tight budgets. Cash flow is one of the reasons that a large number of startups fail. Anything to control cash flow makes survival more likely.

This includes ensuring that money is saved by not having to buy things that you need and turning your unused assets into cash. The sharing economy makes it simple to share physical as well as non-physical goods and services using the internet. A digital market is, therefore, an excellent opportunity for economic growth.

Freelancing and sharing economy are only two tips of the iceberg that e-commerce is. There is a lot more (like online shopping). In 2016, the global e-commerce market volume is estimated to have reached $22 trillion, growing much faster than the conventional commerce.

All this creates enormous employment opportunities, particularly for the bulging youth population. According to an agreement signed with Tevta Punjab in August last year, Careem is getting 100,000 unemployed youth trained in the next three years (incidentally over 80% of Careem’s drivers in GCC countries are Pakistanis – who obviously too contribute to Pakistan’s economy through foreign remittances).

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It is time that we realise the colossal benefits that the internet and ICTs can bring to our economy and start encouraging growth of ICTs – rather than taxing heavily for short-term cash generation.

The writer is former CEO of the Universal Services Fund and is providing ICT consultancy services in several countries of Africa and Asia

Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2017.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/1379351/online-freelancing-grows-pakistan-earnings-reach-1b/

 

[Hafiz-Zafar]

Freelancing is the best option. You can make a handsome amount of money with the comfort of your home/office and scheduele.

 

[Malik Usman]

http://www.PakJF.com

 

[Awan68]

Awesome, I'm also web developer and I've seen many Pakistani development company recently, top WordPress theme on Themeforest marketplace named "Avada" is also created by Pakistani web developer.

Still Pakistani IT industry is no match for India.

The way u drag india into comparison with pakistan on every single piece of news shows the inferiority complex of indians..

 

[My-Analogous]

Awesome, I'm also web developer and I've seen many Pakistani development company recently, top WordPress theme on Themeforest marketplace named "Avada" is also created by Pakistani web developer.

Still Pakistani IT industry is no match for India.

and where India come in this picture?

 

[Dark-Destroyer]

Great news hopefully they can build on this and create a multi billion dollar industry

 

[Mumm-Ra]

Free lancing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world at present Pakistan has a sizable foot print in that sector. However, i doubt if the revenue generated was $1 billion. Can someone shed light on this figure?

 

[Dark-Destroyer]

I use freelancing for some of my projects cuz I cant graphic design. The lowest bidders are always bngladszhis and pakistanis. I always skip over them lol. Glad to say not a single cent of that supposed 1 billion is from me.

Comments like yours are not suprsing coming from a small Indian mind

 

[mohd497]

I use freelancing for some of my projects cuz I cant graphic design. The lowest bidders are always bngladszhis and pakistanis. I always skip over them lol. Glad to say not a single cent of that supposed 1 billion is from me.

That bracause you yourself dont have single cent probably a taxi driver in canada, 99% of indian are those. They even start making films about it.

 

[Talwar e Pakistan]

Right

According to the 2005 census data for Canada, 44 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants in Canada were below the poverty line, being the second most poor group of immigrants in Canada, with many engineers, doctors and doctorates working as taxi drivers or security guards.[23] Only 55 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants owned a home, and 44 percent lived in households with five or more people.[23] On an average, the wages of Pakistani-born immigrants were 70 percent of that of Canadians.[23]


Versus

Indo-Canadians are significantly more likely than the Canadian average to have a university degree, and most Indians in Canada are socio-economically middle class and affluent.[2] 54% of South Asians in Canada have household incomes greater than $60,000, compared to the 46% Canadian average.


So 44% of pakistanis in Canada are living in poverty while 54% of Indians are living above middle class. pakistanis are literally the 2nd poorest group of immigrants in Canada!

It said 'Pakistani-born' for a reason. Many immigrants from poor rural parts of the country immigrated to the Europe, the Gulf and Canada/US and have to work their way up for a reason. While Indian 'skilled labor' (doctors, physicians, etc...) fled India during the same time.

Anyway, you're a typical copy-cut-paste Indian. Here is more stuff from your same source.

Most Pakistani Canadians live a comfortable suburban life, with the vast majority living in the middle class and upper-middle class.They tend to follow the residence pattern set by other Canadians in that they move to more affluent suburbs as their prosperity increases. Members of the community believe in the symbolic importance of owning homes.[19] Generally, Pakistani parents in Canada appear to have successfully transported to their new home a stable family structure and the value system that supports it. While there are many cases of marriage and family breakdown, most Pakistani-Canadian children and young adults appear to respect their parents’ traditional values. Most marriages are apparently still arranged by families, although the prospective brides as well as the grooms usually participate in the decision.

Most Pakistani Canadians work as professionals or in skilled trades. Many are self-employed and own small businesses. Those who came to Canada from Pakistan via East Africa or the Gulf are more likely to be involved in business. A number of Pakistani Canadians are also traders and are primarily involved in exporting and importing goods to and from Pakistan. A few substantial enterprises are also owned by Pakistani-Canadian entrepreneurs. A small number of them own factories in Pakistan and are engaged in importing Pakistani manufactures. Others have established textile mills in British Columbia and Ontario and are involved in multinational trade. Canada’s economic relations with Pakistan have shifted from aid to trade in the past decade. A number of Pakistani-Canadian businessmen and companies have participated in this development.[19]

The incomes of Pakistani Canadians are generally just above the national average. Some incidence of poverty may be present among the newer immigrants (especially in Toronto),[22] who tend to take low-paying jobs often due to a lack of 'Canadian experience'. Members of the family and the larger community tend to take care of each other, and to assist in times of economic need. Hence, it would be more common to turn to a community member for economic assistance rather than to a government agency. Relatively low levels of the community are therefore on welfare and public assistance, contrary to what many believe.[19]

Found this interesting piece as well

Education and income[edit]
Contrary to popular perceptions, the condition of Muslims in the U.S. is very good. Among South Asians in the country, the large Pakistani American community stands out as particularly well educated and prosperous, with education and income levels exceeding those of U.S.-born whites. Many are professionals, especially in medicine (they account for 2.7-5% of America’s physicians),[106][107] scientists, engineers, and financial analysts, and there are also a large number of entrepreneurs. There are more than 15,000 medical doctors practicing medicine in the USA who are of Pakistani origin alone[108] and the number of Pakistani American millionaires was reported to be in the thousands. Shahid Khan a Pakistani-born American multi billionaire businessmen owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) making him the first and only ethnic minority member to own one, he also owns English Premier League team Fulham F.C., and automobile parts manufacturer Flex-N-Gate in Urbana, Illinois.[109]

 

[mohd497]

Right

According to the 2005 census data for Canada, 44 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants in Canada were below the poverty line, being the second most poor group of immigrants in Canada, with many engineers, doctors and doctorates working as taxi drivers or security guards.[23] Only 55 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants owned a home, and 44 percent lived in households with five or more people.[23] On an average, the wages of Pakistani-born immigrants were 70 percent of that of Canadians.[23]


Versus

Indo-Canadians are significantly more likely than the Canadian average to have a university degree, and most Indians in Canada are socio-economically middle class and affluent.[2] 54% of South Asians in Canada have household incomes greater than $60,000, compared to the 46% Canadian average.


So 44% of pakistanis in Canada are living in poverty while 54% of Indians are living above middle class. pakistanis are literally the 2nd poorest group of immigrants in Canada!

Bullshit. Anyone can edit wiki article. My visit to canada was rather surprising. All yes all of the taxi driver i met were indian and most of then wear that stupid pagri. While pakiatani i met usually are in business. The lower income have corner shops but hey ecen those make more money. One indian taxi driver started to tell his sad story how pathetic his life is like i cared.

 

[Śakra]

Bullshit. Anyone can edit wiki article. My visit to canada was rather surprising. All yes all of the taxi driver i met were indian and most of then wear that stupid pagri. While pakiatani i met usually are in business. The lower income have corner shops but hey ecen those make more money. One indian taxi driver started to tell his sad story how pathetic his life is like i cared.

Yea someone created those citations too. We should all trust your anecdotal evidence over facts.

This quote perfectly summarizes you

Comments like yours are not suprsing coming from a small Indian mind

idc my money my choice.

 

[mohd497]

Yea someone created those citations too. We should all trust your anecdotal evidence over facts.

This quote perfectly summarizes you

idc my money my choice.

Speaking from experiance ... you dont want to believe me your choice. I myself as a freelancer can tell you we dont need your cents save it for the your taxi

 

[XDescendantX]

According to the 2005 census data for Canada, 44 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants in Canada were below the poverty line

What ever conditions Pakistanis living in Canada live in, is still 10 x's better than the conditions hundreds of millions of Indians are living in, in India.

When it comes to human suffering India far exceeds Pakistan and there isn't a damn fact you can google that will tell you otherwise.

A troll with make-up is still just a troll. The only freelancing your good for is getting on your knees.

 

[Clutch]

Right

According to the 2005 census data for Canada, 44 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants in Canada were below the poverty line, being the second most poor group of immigrants in Canada, with many engineers, doctors and doctorates working as taxi drivers or security guards.[23] Only 55 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants owned a home, and 44 percent lived in households with five or more people.[23] On an average, the wages of Pakistani-born immigrants were 70 percent of that of Canadians.[23]


Versus

Indo-Canadians are significantly more likely than the Canadian average to have a university degree, and most Indians in Canada are socio-economically middle class and affluent.[2] 54% of South Asians in Canada have household incomes greater than $60,000, compared to the 46% Canadian average.


So 44% of pakistanis in Canada are living in poverty while 54% of Indians are living above middle class. pakistanis are literally the 2nd poorest group of immigrants in Canada!

All that ... & yet you are here on PDF...

 

[war&peace]

Right

According to the 2005 census data for Canada, 44 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants in Canada were below the poverty line, being the second most poor group of immigrants in Canada, with many engineers, doctors and doctorates working as taxi drivers or security guards.[23] Only 55 percent of Pakistani-born immigrants owned a home, and 44 percent lived in households with five or more people.[23] On an average, the wages of Pakistani-born immigrants were 70 percent of that of Canadians.[23]


Versus

Indo-Canadians are significantly more likely than the Canadian average to have a university degree, and most Indians in Canada are socio-economically middle class and affluent.[2] 54% of South Asians in Canada have household incomes greater than $60,000, compared to the 46% Canadian average.


So 44% of pakistanis in Canada are living in poverty while 54% of Indians are living above middle class. pakistanis are literally the 2nd poorest group of immigrants in Canada!

Loads of crap...