The Effectiveness of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Pakistan: Local Citizen’s Perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) concerning reducing unemployment and poverty by creating employment opportunities for the less educated citizens of Pakistan. Convenience and snowball sampling techniques have been used for data collection. The target population was the less-educated citizens of Pakistan. The results of the study reveal that the development of CPEC is potentially effective for Pakistan, in terms of creating employment opportunities for the less educated citizens, and reducing poverty. However, people living in rural areas are less educated and unskilled.  They need to be well trained to avail of particular job opportunities. Hence, the research implies that the Government of Pakistan should introduce skills development and training programs for the less educated community of Pakistan to polish their skills for the particular job opportunities which arise due to different mega projects of national and international nature, such as CPEC. This may lead to the reduction of poverty. Moreover, the study found that CPEC is significantly important for both nations particularly Pakistan as it needs more to overcome social and energy crises as well as for economic development. Therefore, the findings of this research are significantly important for the Government officials, regulators, and policymakers, as it suggests them to consider and invest in the training and development of the less educated community of Pakistan, to attain the maximum from such projects as CPEC.