Manpower

Manpower – stagnant resource or a catalyst?

Manpower is one of the most critical components of human prosperity and can even be considered as the sin qua non of the economic growth of structured organizations. Visa acceptance to Canada and Australia resides in the underlining truth that there are roads to be built and buildings to erect. Physical hands are required to complete the forecasted expansions. Labor in industrialized countries is becoming expensive and under privileged countries have the abundance of human power to circulate their strength and create a balance. In Unites states of America, plumbers are one of the highly paid trade specialists. But if one tours down to the Texas belt, the prices of plumbers face an all-time low. The influx of cheap labor from Mexico assists in reducing the rates of plumbers and other skilled laborers. Building homes in California is cheaper than compared to building a similar residential area in Boston or New York. The primal reason behind this behavior is the availability of skilled labor.

One can site a million examples of the advantages of skilled labor and its abundant availability. Immigrants from all around the world have made America where it is today and other nations are following the trend. The melting pot of civilizations will create and foster brilliance and exemplary works. The roads joining the fifty states have been laid down by German contractors who immigrated here 100 years ago, the hospitals are saturated with skilled specialists from China and Canada who has been raised in the country after their parents migrated into USA in search of basic labor.

Dreams and its road to reality lie in the fact that there is a sublime congregation of mental and physical excellence in any nation. Pakistan is blessed with the multitude of humans that reside within its boundary walls. This is the nation that has an exponential surplus of human hands and bodies at every bend in the road. Basic indicators relate to this fact. Thousands of house hold workers are working at below international norm wages to even come to poverty level status. Millions of children are employed in industrial factories on meager wages due to the abundance of workers in the factory areas. Faisalabad is labeled as the national hub and center of textile industry and this is not due to the creative minds that are working around the clock or the machinery being exported from Italy, but by and large due to the cheap labor available in the inner and outer skirts of the city. Faisalabad is on the map of Pakistan due to the movement of human hands and bodies. Gugranwala can also be cited.

Statistics from the government of Pakistan indicate that 60 percent of villages have graduate drop outs and are in search of work. Workers travel miles in search of work agog to find something that can keep their ovens warm.

Empirical data concludes that this nation has the human hands necessary to catapult its disparity into more living conditions. Creating roads and building houses is not rocket science. With such cheap labor the odds of achieving the dreams are so within grasp. Imagine what America created after the influx of all those immigrants hundred years ago or even England. The milestones that can be achieved by Germany and Italy if they had this number of workers at this stage are unfathomable.

China, the elder brother next door can be the exemplary commitment and the ardent inspiration. With thousands of workers cycling to industries and wearing basic apparel, this great nation has achieved milestones and aims that no other nation in the world can even imagine. It is the only nation in the world that can boast exporting to all the countries in the world with the most diverse portfolio of goods. From millions of lead pencils that are shipped to South Africa to the little wooden dolls sold in the large toy stores in Australia, China has become a local brand. The reason behind China being victorious lies in the fact of handling and coordinating the people at mass production levels. China was successful in tapping into its infinite human resources and hones its labor force over the gradual passage of years.

Human power is a great gift if understood and utilized fully. With the advantage of millions of youth readily available, Pakistan requires to hone this sideline benefit and carve permanence in the world market. This will require massive measures and even create havoc for specific time frames. If becoming a victor in the ever changing economy, than Pakistan needs to be in full alert and start measuring its key strengths, educating the masses, training the man power and focusing on long term goals.

There are several delicate angles that all nations of the world need to be contemplating at this stage. The world is now connected and information is moving at the speed of light. There is no room for unvolatile unknowns and glitches. Nations will pay heavily if they do not keep pace with the current trends and annihilate the current obstacles. The lip servicing political systems and the animated themes of beguiling speeches can not liberate the pains and losses one will garner if all measures are not taken into proportionate strides. The market is massively universal and the set back deterministic of financial losses. Countries are now being judges by its creativity, understanding of the international requirements and its loyalty to its long term goals. Pakistan will fail miserably in the international spheres and end up questioning the non-usage of such a massive cohort of human presence.

The confluence of man power and utility is mandatory for survival. Carve cities with the blue prints of china and provide means to establish and stabilize local markets.

Malaysia and Thailand are countries with manpower and mindset. Economies of scale are directly proportional to the intellectual residue of the common laborer. These nations along with India have successfully imbedded a mind set that can drive and work with advanced tools and establish a more common productivity as compared to international markets.

Pakistan is miles away from that ocean tides. It is only at its infancy. We need to concentrate on the simple and conducive market of mass production where hands are more important than focusing on manufacturing perplexed Intel chip coding patterns.

The price of labor for construction has increased 30% from last year. Drivers, cooks, and dry cleaners are charging well beyond the required norms. Trucks and oil rates related to transport has affected the price of commodities. But I wonder why this case is? When we have millions of human faces anxiously waiting to work and earn a rupee. The cultural indifference that has become instilled in our minds as a civilization has been the real game changer. No one is ready to teach and foster on. The insecurity level here in Pakistan is at its highest plateau.

The facts and figures relate a story of means and possibility but the cultured and infused patterns conclude that we are ready to negotiate losses at all costs.

If the common elements are well taught in this country, the labor rate and economical benefits can easily rotate to a positive dimension.

If every tenth person from the pool of 2.4 million youth that are serving no departments or organizations become painters, carpenters, typists or even drivers, the pool from where we can choose will increase and open competition will further elevate the conditions. But if we choose from a pool who are hard coded with never to allow others to enter the domain attitude, then pessimism will work its way up the blood chain and foster resentment and hostility.

This is the prime time to focus on the current advantage we have in the market and open the doors for these young audiences. Create jobs that play a pivotal part in the economies of scale. Learn from the Chinese and become catalysts for local product manufacturing. Close doors of foreign import. Analyze the differential advantages of local markets.

This is the time to bring forth stability and credibility.