Population Management

(Amna Malik, Islamabad)

Human population control is the practice of artificially altering the rate of growth of a human population. It can involve measures that improve peoples’ lives by giving them greater control of their reproduction. We have examples of population control being exercised such as in the case of China, the government's "one-child policy", has forced people to take coercive measures in which, with some exceptions, having more than one child is greatly discouraged. Unauthorized births are punished by fines.

Increasing globalisation and competitiveness have brought to the fore the importance of effective population management for national and international organisations. In recent years, there has been a remarkable development in it throughout the world. The challenges of management of HRs in developing countries are complex and demanding.

As the world develops into a ‘global village’, there is a greater need to know how managers in various parts of the world cope with issues and problems related to management of human resources. Pakistan is the seventh most populous country of the world. At 2.18 percent, it has one of the world’s highest population growth rates, such that in the next decade its population is expected to surpass 260 million. The total employed labor force is estimated at 38.18 million, which is only 27.66 percent of the total population. In effect, 41 percent of the total population is under the age of 14. Also, due to slow economic growth for the past two years, well over 2.36 million people are unemployed

According to new Pakistan Economic Survey 2013-14, at present it is the sixth most populous country in the world with a projected population of 188 million. The population growth rate in Pakistan is 1.95 percent, which is higher than average growth rate of South Asian countries. Government of Pakistan is working on many strategies for the population control like family planning. Over population is a domestic problem in Pakistan but we can take it can be considered in a positive prospective through population management regimes and allowing it to aid positively in the development of the country.

This problem is also being discussed at international level and Pakistan has informed the United Nations that it is continuously raising awareness, providing healthcare and building capacity for effective implementation of population control strategies in the country. We have an option to introduce population control management through human resource management for which certain methods are being proposed and to be implemented by the government of Pakistan.

Population management can also be termed as human resource development. HRM in Pakistan is passing though an embryonic stage. A majority of businesses in Pakistan (both local and foreign) have restructured their personnel divisions as human resource divisions. However, they do not provide any information about what this change entails. Very few organizations have adopted an integrated and focused approach to HRM, taking cultural and structural changes into consideration. In these organizations the role of HRM had been broadened, HR departments had been brought up to par with other business areas and communication channels had been opened up.

Whereas, most of the organizations were following a piecemeal approach whereby only certain HR activities had been introduced in installments.

Despite their efforts, most of these organizations suffer from lack of communication, a gap between managers’ promises and implementation of policies and an inconsistency of HRM practices among employees and the centralized structure of the organizations. Employees have expressed dissatisfaction with the existing norms. They clearly understood the vital role that HRM played in adding value to the work environment and building their long-term careers and they aspired for a pro-active, professional and participatory approach to people management.

Over the years, a number of researchers have highlighted the significance of national factors (like national culture, work-related values and external environment) in understanding HRM systems. Research has shown that social institutions such as family, education through socialization process influence companies’ strategies and organizational practices in a systematic way, with the result that companies’ structures and processes reflect typical national patterns.

Government aims to take initiatives for the management of population by providing employment opportunities, manage unemployment skills give education and introduce vocational training programs and also give incentives in order to utilize the energies of our youth in a positive and correct way through it. Youth frustration can be transformed by introducing healthy activities in the daily lives of youth, in this way we can manage idleness and aggression of our population.

Moreover, maddrassas need to be monitored in such a manner that they should be registered along with the total count of students and their whereabouts. Modules relating to conventional and technical education in maddrassas need to be included so that these students too should contribute equally and positively in the development of the country.

Women constitute a large proportion in Pakistan with a population at 51%. They too need to be turned into full scale individuals that play a significant role in the development of the nation. Introducing small scale industries by providing loans to women is a great initiative at the part of the government By starting their business at their homes our women can also contribute equally in the development of our country. Women are the most significant members of society thus they too ought to play an equal part in progress. In this backdrop, managing precious human resource become the need of the time for which not only the government and its organization, but every individual needs to focus upon.

Seeing the need to empower our women folk, the government has initiated some programs and scheme for this purpose. With so many of the population not working and participating, the state of economy can never become better. The government is focused and a lot of work is being done in this regard. Maryam Nawaz, the chairperson of the Prime Minister’s Youth Program elaborated that there are 98 million women in Pakistan.

Also, there are 60 special seats reserved for women In Pakistan’s National Assembly, Women are 25% of the workforce in the country, (especially in rural areas. They are actively contributing in agriculture, industry, banks, telecommunication and marketing. However, there is still room for making life easier for them and to motivate others as well. By following a comprehensive policy of human resource management that includes the uplift of all members of society it will be possible for the nation to prosper.

Amna Malik
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