Future of IT Industry in Pakistan

The prestigious beginning of Information Technology and Computer Science in Pakistan dates back to the 1980s. Some say that the country is a late bloomer in this regard, but it is way ahead as compared to hundred other countries around the globe. In terms of performance it comes under the shed of top IT services providers. In 2021, the Global Innovation Index reported that Pakistan IT sector greatly improved and got a strong grip globally (bagged a position of 99th from among 132 countries).It is competing with many countries such as Malaysia, India, China, Indonesia and several others.

More and more people are getting computer literate and the number of technophiles is continuously increasing. This is an achievement on our behalf, since Pakistan is considered a third world country. Five lac laptops and computers are bought each year by Pakistanis and since the outbreak of the pandemic the demand significantly surged as it gave rise to work from home jobs. Since people are getting more knowledge and awareness related to information technology you can have an idea what the future will be like.

Pakistan has a wide base of information technology users. Side by side, it is also a producer and provides a number of different services such as programming, development, consultancy, network and security, computer training and many others. Even high quality information technology gadgets and devices are being manufactured here that are later exported to other countries at a low cost. This not only helps the country in revenue generation but also increases foreign reserves. A decade ago, in 2014 the foreign exchange was more than $ 525 million (twice as that in 2002). Government has planned to invest more in IT so that there can be an influx of foreign income. This will also give rise to technological advancement and more jobs will be created for those who are ardently choosing it as a field for career. With government support, the country will look up and come closer to the developed countries such as China.

Many professionals and experts are taking advantage of the internet by making a hefty sum of money in website design and development, computer programming, information management and other areas. While many top notch IT companies are outsourcing jobs so that they can get things done faster. It’s hard to believe it might be, Pakistan has a string of phenomenal hackers and bug detectors, many of them have worked for reputable companies such as Facebook, Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Dropbox etc. and hunted bugs for them. In the late 90's and early 2000, internet was available only in a handful of cities, but now almost every part of the country has access to the internet.

In future, if the government extends support and facilitates the IT sector with full alacrity then surely it will leave behind many developing countries and will inch closer to the domineering IT countries. As hinted earlier, if this is done then the IT industry can bring more revenues than other sectors such as agriculture, textile or construction etc. However, with limited resources Pakistan still has a long way to go and wait for the fruitful outcome. There is a worldwide demand for tech talented individuals. Government is taking initiatives to attract and promote this sector which is a great source for foreign investment. The most promising areas are software development, e-commerce and digital services. Backed by internet and mobile services the sector seems to break all the previous barriers that hindered it to achieve some tech goals. However, much progress depends on the political situation and well planned infrastructure. A lack of skilled professionals can create obstacles in the path of growth of this sector.