Employment Generation and Labour Composition in CPEC and Related Road Infrastructure Projects

Abstract

The role of infrastructure in economic development is of immense importance. Initial Infrastructure investment under China Pakistan Economic Corridor is US $ 13.58 billion out of US $ 46 billion. Our study has estimated the number of direct employment generated through CPEC and related infrastructure projects. The study also calculates the number of Chinese and Pakistani human resource hired on these projects. The primary data was gathered from six road projects through questionnaires which were filled by the project implementers. These projects are not only providing employment to locals but also enhancing the capacity of local human resource. The results show that approximately 52,000 direct jobs have been created through six CPEC and related road infrastructure projects. The average ratio of employment of Chinese to Pakistani is 1:18. Furthermore the outcome of this study negates the impression that only the Chinese are getting the employment in CPEC projects.