10. Creative Designing
Entry Level: 12,000 - 18,000*
5 Years: 49,560 - 74,340*
Growth Rate: 313%**
Job Satisfaction: Satisfied
Popular Institutions: NCA, Indus Valley School of Arts & Fatima Jinnah Women University
A rather new entrant in the careers race, Creative Designing is catching up as a popular profession. With businesses investing massively in corporate websites and online presence as well as the booming print media, creative and graphic designers are in high demand. The fact that there is no degree level restriction also adds to its popularity. The scarcity of highly experienced creative designers contributes to the high salary growth rate for this profession.
Interestingly, there are quite a few HEC accredited institutions that are now offering degrees in Creative and Graphic Designing adding to the quality of the talent pool. This profession sees the lowest retention rates, most likely because of high turnover in short term projects.
9. Software Engineering
Entry Level: 15,000 - 30,000*
5 Years: 43,215 - 82,600*
Growth Rate: 180%**
Job Satisfaction: Very Satisfied
Popular Institutions: GIKI, NUST, UET, FAST & NED
Software Engineering is the most popular engineering discipline in Pakistan and it is no surprise that its professionals are among the top 10. Although the salary bracket for the entrants is not amongst the highest, the growth rate is reasonable, as a result of which there is a strong incremental increase in compensation. One reason for this is the booming IT sector which is also the biggest recruiter of these experts in the country. There has been resurgence in the IT sector and university students are lagging behind in picking up on this hot career choice. The Software Engineering programs being offered at higher education institutions are compatible worldwide. It is no surprise then that software giants like IBM, Google and Microsoft hire regularly from these engineering universities. Most Software Engineering graduates prefer to pursue a master’s degree which significantly increases their market worth. Job hopping trends in this field offer no conclusive patterns and vary from industry to industry.
8. Finance & Accounting
Entry Level: 10,000 - 25,000*
5 Years: 36,100 - 90,250*
Growth Rate: 261%**
Job Satisfaction: Satisfied
Popular Institutions: LUMS, IBA, NUST, UCP & ICMAP
As a professional in Finance, one thing is for sure, one can calculate one’s own worth by checking the value you bring into the company. As a savvy part of the company, one is better placed to make it to the top if one possesses merit, a superior experience and a bit of clever
industry study. Growth in this field is not particularly great for midlevel professionals despite passing the test of heightened competition and high volume of the first few years. Chartered Accountants and ACCA’s significantly contribute to this career’s entry in the top salary bracket since the demand for them far outstrips non-accredited accounting professionals.
7. Telecom Engineering
Entry Level: 18,000 - 38,000*
5 Years: 59,940 - 99,000*
Growth Rate: 184%**
Job Satisfaction: Somewhat Satisfied
Popular Institutions: NUST, UET, NED & FAST
With the explosive growth of Pakistan’s Telecom Sector, these technical recruits are in huge demand at every level. From vendors to operators, they are the backbone of the entire telecom industry. Previously Electrical or Electronics Engineers majoring in Communications were being hired at the entry level and trained as telecom engineers. But now leading engineering institutions are offering “Telecom Engineering” as a separate degree. Even though it is an extremely popular career choice, the growth rate is not exceptionally high. We’ve also observed one of the highest job hopping trends in this profession.
6. HR Management
Entry Level: 18,000 - 30,000*
5 Years: 68,800 - 103,200*
Growth Rate: 258%**
Job Satisfaction: Very Satisfied
Popular Institutions: IBA, NUST, LSE, LUMS, Quaid-e-Azam University & UCP
HR Management is the “Next IT” in terms of booming careers to opt for. Senior Managers can gross surprisingly well particularly in Telecom, Banking and FMCG sectors. In this case, HEC accredited institutions have stepped up to the plate and offered cutting edge education to match the growing industry demand. As the current HR criteria stands it is no longer enough to simply have an HR degree but to also preferably combine it with a specialization such as IT or Supply Chain, depending on the target industry one wishes to join. Pakistan’s corporate sector has finally begun to recognize the value human resource departments bring to enabling productive workforces, putting this field in hot demand.
5. Mechanical Eng.
Entry Level: 25,000 - 48,000*
5 Years: 69,112 - 115,218*
Growth Rate: 153%**
Job Satisfaction: Somewhat Satisfied
Popular Institutions: GIKI, UET,NUST & NED
This is one of the most meritorious engineering disciplines. The FMCG and the Oil & Gas Sector are the biggest recruiters of Mechanical Engineers, followed by the Construction industry. A large batch of these graduates seeks employment outside Pakistan, especially in the Gulf States. Mechanical Engineers are one of the highest paid amongst their engineering peers. Job hopping trends are also prevalent in this field of work perhaps because few companies invest in training their staff and others simply “fetch” from the ones that do train. Interestingly, in the last 10 years this field has seen an incremental increase in women recruits who not only do well academically but are also doing exceptionally well in the field.
4. Sales & Business Development
Entry Level: 15,000 - 35,000*
5 Years: 63,750 -126,250*
Growth Rate: 280%**
Job Satisfaction: Somewhat Satisfied
Popular Institutions: LUMS, IBA, LSE & Quaid-e-Azam University
Sales and Business Development is a highly lucrative line of work based on a commission and incentive structures, varying on company policy. There is a growing trend amongst young business professionals to opt for Business Development as it not only gives them heightened exposure to whois- who of industry but also offers impressive rewards. Most popularly known as the ‘bread winners’ of the company, these professionals have a comfortable career growth rate, as indicated by our survey. This field does not require a mandatory qualification and base salary increments are usually proportional to the experience level and the business connections the sales person has. However, as in most cases an MBA with the relevant specialization is preferred. BD professionals are doing best in FMCG and Banking sector, followed by the Insurance and telecom. The lower job satisfaction rating points to perhaps a high level of stress management that professionals have to incorporate while meeting their sales targets.
3. Program & Project Management
Entry Level: 20,000 - 35,000*
5 Years: 74,100 - 142,240*
Growth Rate: 293%**
Job Satisfaction: Very Satisfied
Popular Institutions: LUMS, IBA & NUST
In the West particularly this field is one of the emerging disciplines with only few certified agencies providing trainings on Project/ Program management as it becomes a huge challenge to find candidates that have a holistic view of the company and can also incorporate knowledge of different departments in an organization to complete tasks. Here in Pakistan, the degree specifications depend mostly on the nature of the project and thus far, there is a scarcity of a large qualified candidate pool in the industry. The relatively high growth rate for this profession is due to the fact that Project Managers become much more effective with experience under their belts.
2. Procurement & Supply Chain
Entry Level: 15,000 - 25,000*
5 Years: 76,219 - 150,412*
Growth Rate: 467%**
Job Satisfaction: Satisfied
Popular Institutions: LUMS, GC& LSE
Although Procurement and Supply Chain is not the first career choice for most professionals, it is nonetheless carving out a niche for itself in the
market. It came in as no surprise because there is an increasing number of HR Managers who have to comply with international standards by many businesses that require an established Procurement Department. Supply Chain is mostly taught as a specialization after an accredited MBA and is only sought after for many leading wholesalers who are now even more brand conscious and want to establish their purchase and supply channels in the most cost-effective way.
1. Marketing & Brand Management
Entry Level: 20,000 - 52,000*
5 Years: 83,916 - 165,371*
Growth Rate: 246%**
Job Satisfaction: Somewhat Satisfied
Popular Institutions: IBA, NUST, LUMS, Quaid-e-Azam University & UCP
Ranked the top profession in by our survey, Marketing professionals are amongst the highest grossing in the country. With the emergence of
multinational giants on Pakistan’s economic front, Marketing and Brand Management is serious business, with millions rolling in to change perceptions of a product with color, figures and images as the only tools. With only a handful of quality business education institutions providing the necessary talent pool, there is a high degree of variance in compensation. The disparity in supply and demand has given rise to salary inflation all over the industry which encourages both job hopping and low job satisfaction ratings. However, the job growth in this department is high as a result of which it is a natural career choice for many. The Telecom, Banking and FMCG Sector have the highest compensation packages for
marketing professionals and they are considerably higher than what is offered by most other sectors. This again explains the high degree of
variance in compensation packages.
* Salaries for Entry Level and Mid Level after 5 years are denoted in Pakistani Rupees per month.
** Growth Rate Scenario: If your entry level salary is Rs.10,000 and after 5 years it increases to Rs.90,000 your growth rate is 800%.
wow...this is one very good research. I really encourage you to post such thing which will help the youth and students of Pakistan to chose there profession as well as education.
thumbs up bro...
me gonna republish it ..if you don't mid :)
My analysis and experience is very different. There is saturation of web design and graphic designing work. Many are sitting idle. Projects and jobs are low paid.
Vocational and technical institutions are providing good education. I have noted that these institutions are providing extensive education of computers and information technology. However, best paying jobs which are available in Arab countries often need medical doctors, engineers, Para-medical staff, engineering technicians, teachers, business and accounting related employees.
with due apologies,i dont agree with the survey. Where did the earnings of chartered accountants go? are u trying to submerge accounting and finance BBA with CA?
Though i am not doing Engg. but people with CA, ACCA and ACMA digrees get the most highly paid jobs in Pakistan... Starting Rs. 30,000-70,000. After five years to around 250,000 Rs. and are the most satisfeid people.
I agree with you 100 percent Nimra.
No...The title in itself is decieving.."Top Professions in Pakistan"...By far, doctors are the most highly paid professionals...MBBS with A speciality...there are doctors out there earning...more than a CRORE rupees per month..this profession always pays in the long run and are never out of jobs..!
Amazing article. Really great but i have serious doubts on its objectivity though. Engineers do not earn that much in Pakistan is a fact.
the reserch is good, i appriciate it but have doubts about earnings beacuse are not earning that much in pakistan
Hello,
Though the article seems to b interesting but doesn't stand good because i guess it is not based on true facts and figures. Professionals like
Chartered accountants, Doctors and others working as petroleum engineers there at oil rigs or refineries were ignored and were not given any kind of space in the ranking.
Waqas Ahmed
ACA
SIR, THE STARTING SALARY OF A NEWLY BECOME CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT IS 100K + 1000cc Car,NOT 10K...
I don't believe these so called facts. It is truth at all. I am still student of CA an earning handsome amount, by working 4 hours.
There is no thumb rule that if you are such and you will get this amount. YOU have to prove something in some industry to got some credentials.
Looks like this survey was conducted by a person pursuing engineering. I can see scope for engineering only which is not at all true
This ranking is based on a survey conducted by rozee.pk of 2000 people across 1000 employers.
The rozee.pk also mentioned on their website that medical doctors were ranked the lowest in Pakistan because a freshly minted MBBS has a tough time earning even PKR 18,000 a month. Although some doctors do earn a lot of money, it is much later in their career.
They also merged the Chartered Accountants pays with all other "financial managers" (ranked 8th). That may explain why some of the readers are confused about not seeing the CA salaries.
I am just quoting the Rozee.pk and their research. I don't have a personal opinion about whether these salary figures are correct or not so I would appreciate no personal attacks.
What do you think about medical ? you have not enrolled this profession in yor list. I think it is best profession in pakistan and all over the world.
WHO so ever has posted is the biggest "Idiot", Like 'Nimra Ali', Raza & others I would ask where did the salary of CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS go?. A CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT in Pakistan gets a Starting Salary of 100K+. If you want the proof I can give you but bet you, you won;t be able to give a single reference of 10K+ Salary for any accountant :P
i also agree wid most of the ppl like raza haider and nimra...i am going 2 start a new career and it wil b a chartered accoutant program..... u ppl helpd me a lot in finding a new profession...
what u guys mean by 100k plz explain it in simple words
meaning of 100k is 100,000 (k often stands for thousand).
well im doing some research on the accounting and finance profession, because im currently studying it in UK so thinking weather to go and work in Pakistan as i got some close family there too. But by looking at this it has convinced me to go to Pakistan but i still need to do more research.
nice info.
i think the CA & ACMA are getting highest salaries in Pakistan. Although few specialists r earning millions per month but they r just few of them & we r talking about career!
abcd_149@hotmail.com
You have missed one of the highly paid profession, which is a "Geologist" serving in oil and gas industry. search for their packages u will be surprized....
What About the chartered accountants??
hi,i really liked your article and it helped me alot,
I THINK THERE IS NO RELATION BETWEEN WEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE.IT ALL DEPEND ON YOUR LUCK.IF THERE WILL BE A RELATION BETWEEN WEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE THEN THE UNEDUCATED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WILL DEFINITELY DIE,WHICH IS NOT APPLICABLE IN THE WORLD.
nice info,but im not agree with this research
What is procurement and supply chain?
what about other categories of engineering...this survey includes only 3 branches of engineering out of more than 25
gud research but dont u think that medical fields r also at the level of high earning,such as neurology.
Guys how about joining the Armed Forces. A very promising career.
gud i like but what i do
I am doing Mech Engineering but Where the are CAs earnings? I guess they are paid most!
i think salary of cost and management accountants are on rank 1. i know a guy whom salary is 400,000Rs/...
Interesting to see the disparity between salaries in Pakistan and the US. I recently hired a worker in Pakistan to assist me in building some websites, and I felt bad to pay him so "little".
This research shows me that I am paying his on the level with other professionals, and encourages me to think that I may be able to hire additional workers as my business grows!
wow thats amazing. I have just completed my engineering degree, but now m interested in pursuing my career in "Marketing", i mean MBA. I simply love business studies, I was confused alot whether m going in right direction or not? but such kind of articles helped me alot. Thanks alot for such research, it helped me alot. Also thank you so much Raza.
MBA(Marketing)!!!! here i come.. :)
ur survey(if any)
is biased
The researcher misses the Giant PUNJAB UNIVERSITY. It is really shame full!!
i am completely agree with tariq aziz.. but when we talk about the highest salary which is paid in pakistan, so i wil give first rank to an chartered accountant. bcoz it is the most high class profession amoung all of them. and what the servey says about the current salary pakages, which are aplicable in pakistan, it seems to worst to see that.. they are being paid so low of amount in our country.
if this is turue then GOOD give you great success in your business if this is false then...........
There also seems to be gap where niche fields for example Information Security can not be categorized into any of the above. Wait a minute what about the world of civil jobs and armed forces shouldn't their professions also get a mention.
go on
what is the salary of a newly done acca person??
and what about aerospace eng.???
A.O.A. can you people guide me in chosing my profession.actually i have recently done Fsc pre-engineering with 81% marks and now i m realy confused between engineering or CA.please tell me which one is better and one more thing , is there any scope for girls in CA?ALLAH HAFIZ
Software engineers are the mostly paid persons in paksian with comparison to other occupations except CA
Salam..if u have done fsc pe engineering,,to decide in which field u shud proceed<<first of all u shud take into account ur own interest that where it lies...no matter whichever field is ,,,the scope depends on ur interest and determination..CA is highly paid ,,higly respect as other too..but u have to work much harder to complete ur ca...and it is equally applicable for girls too as its field work is relatively better and deals with corporate sector...however eng has also the same scope..as quoted by our teacher "field koi b ho bande me current hona chahie " n i agree wid it
Any good engineer would prefer a job abroad than living here and getting even 100k per month.
LIKE D POSTS AT 5 24 PM n 9 10 PM !!!