Unemployment is a scavenger and has taken away many lives. Some have been linking unemployment to the growing technology that has pushed away the man power away. Some associate it to the increase of population. While some are of the view that the literacy level is too low and the education system is not preparing the youth for the actual practical life. But one of the keys that have locked the door of the employment for the well deserving candidates is corruption. The recruitment process is based on erroneous criteria. If this underemployment is considered to be the root cause of all the problems then it must be resolved in a legal way.
Countries have laws to facilitate the work force. For example in USA they have Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits any discrimination in the hiring process and The Civil Rights Act of 1991 forbids discrimination with the employee. Article 39(d) of Indian Constitution talks about equality in work force. Philippines, one of the fastest growing economies, according to one study has given all the rights to the work force in its Constitution of 1987. Germany has so much strong laws in favor of employees that they are even referred as the ‘Employee Protection Act’. Canada has Canadian Human Rights Act. UK has Equality Acts that keep employers from favoritism. In fact, making sound laws to facilitate the deserving work force has always been into practice throughout world. Pakistan has its own history in this regard. Two first laws in the Subcontinent after the British East India Company’s rule were Employers and Workman Dispute Act 1860 and Indian Factories Act 1881.
Some Trade Union Acts along with several others regarding wages, compensations etc. were produced in 1920s. Pakistan inherited four of such laws after its creation namely Trade Union Act 1926, Factories Act 1934, Industrial Employment Act 1946 & Industrial Disputes Act 1947. All such laws benefitted the work force in one way or the other. Now the Articles 11, 17, 18, 25, 27, 37(e) and 38 of the Constitution of Pakistan mention the employee and employers’ rights and duties respectively. According to one study Pakistan has more than 70 labor laws. The actual irony is the paradox that we see in the practice.