Pakistan’s IT sector is at a critical turning point as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies continue to reshape global industries, workforce requirements, and economic competitiveness. While Pakistan benefits from a large youth population and a growing digital economy, persistent skills gaps, outdated academic curricula, limited industry–academia alignment, and low AI readiness remain significant barriers to progress.
This whitepaper presents a synthesis of insights from the P@SHA Skills Roundtables held at ICT Awards Lahore 2025 and ITCN Asia Karachi 2025, conducted under the theme “Future Skills for the IT Industry – Insights and Emerging Technology Imperatives.” The discussions brought together representatives from industry, academia, government, and the technology ecosystem to examine the disconnect between education and labour market needs, particularly in AI, data analytics, cloud computing, automation, and software development.
Participants emphasized that Pakistan’s challenge is not the quantity of IT graduates but their employability. Graduates often lack practical exposure, industry-aligned skills, and essential cognitive and soft skills required in AI-driven work environments. Key priorities identified include strengthening industry–academia collaboration through co-designed curricula, AI-focused labs, industry-supervised projects, and structured internships; embedding AI literacy across education and professional life; investing in faculty development and digital infrastructure; and normalizing AI as a human-assistive technology through public awareness initiatives.