Country overview
Pakistan
Growing tech and contact-center talent in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. Minimum wages are notified by provinces and, for Islamabad, by the Islamabad Capital Territory administration.
South Asia
How minimum wage works here
Monthly rates are notified separately by each province (Punjab for Lahore, Sindh for Karachi) and by the Islamabad Capital Territory administration. There is no single national rate.
Cities
Employer contributions
EOBI (Employees' Old-Age Benefits Institution)
Employer 5% / employee 1% of the notified minimum wage (not of actual salary)
Source: EOBI – ContributionsLast checked Oct 2026Amount
Coming soonRupee amount depends on the minimum wage EOBI applies for 2026-27; official notice not yet verified.
Last checked Oct 2026Provincial social security (PESSI in Punjab, SESSI in Sindh) and other levies
Coming soonProvincial employees' social security contributions (Punjab PESSI, Sindh SESSI) and any ICT levies pending verification against official notices.
Last checked Oct 2026
13th-month pay
No statutory 13th-month requirement identified; pending confirmation.
Internet
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
Country median (Aug 2026): fixed 18.49 Mbps down / 18.63 up; mobile 32.01 Mbps down / 10.37 up
Country-level median, not city-specific.
Public holidays 2026
12 public holidays in the federal 2026 list (Eid and religious dates subject to moon sighting and later notifications)
Regular holidays
- 5 Feb – Kashmir Day
- 23 Mar – Pakistan Day
- 21–23 Mar – Eid-ul-Fitr*
- 1 May – Labour Day
- 28 May – Youm-e-Takbeer
- 27–29 May – Eid-ul-Azha* (later notifications may adjust)
- 24–25 Jun – Ashura*
- 14 Aug – Independence Day
- 25 Aug – Eid Milad-un-Nabi*
- 9 Nov – Allama Iqbal Day
- 25 Dec – Quaid-e-Azam Day / Christmas
- 26 Dec – Day after Christmas (Christians only)
Power
Awaiting firsthand field notes and an official grid-reliability source.
Entity setup basics
Company incorporation is handled by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP); foreign-shareholder requirements pending verification.
Typical steps
- SECP name reservation and incorporation
- FBR tax registration (NTN)
- EOBI and provincial / ICT labour registrations
Timeline and cost
Realistic timeline and cost to come from field notes.
EOR / payroll coverage
| Provider | EOR status | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Deel | Listed | Provider page |
| Remote | Listed | Provider page |
| Multiplier | Listed | Provider page |
Based on each provider's public country page. Confirm coverage, pricing and entity model directly before signing. No affiliate links.
Last checked Oct 2026Field notes from Gregory Dunham: Pakistan
Updated Oct 2026
How I set up
I started with a partnership, RTG E-Solutions, with the provincial government in what was then the NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). That was quite a task for two foreigners at the time. It had rarely, if ever, been done before.
Later we registered two private limited companies at the SECP (Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan), both with only foreign ownership.
The costs on top of salary
As in the Philippines, there were Eid bonuses and other small allowance expectations, such as transport and food and tea.
Power and internet
At our first office we had to buy large diesel generators because blackouts were frequent and long. We later moved to an office complex with whole-building backup power.
Internet was pricey and unreliable at first, and we paid heavily for E1/T1-level service. Later DSL, fiber and cable became standard and prices dropped drastically. Quality was still subpar, but workable. We typically kept at least one redundant ISP as backup.
Talent, English and attrition
Lahore and Islamabad had much higher-quality English than Peshawar.
Labor costs were highest in Islamabad. Lahore was a bit higher than Peshawar, and Peshawar was the least expensive.
There was very little turnover unless an employee was heading overseas for work or study.
Security and location
Security and location were both factors when we chose offices. Our first office, in Peshawar, was in a populated, heavily trafficked area on a main road. That was convenient for expat leaders and some staff.
Our second Peshawar office was better for both security and location. It was in the main Cantonment/Saddar area, in the middle of the city, and highly secure.
Our Islamabad office was in a solid, secure location. Islamabad is much easier to get around by private car or taxi than by public transport.
What I'd tell a US company
There's lots of great talent, especially in technical and project management roles. People work long, hard hours.
Office culture is more disorganized and flexible than you may be used to.
Safety and security are legitimate concerns for some people, though most business areas of Islamabad and Lahore are very safe. Peshawar has improved a lot. Karachi still has good and bad parts, and it can feel chaotic given its size.
What I paid (historical)
These were competitive rates from a foreign employer, often above average local wages. Treat them as what it takes to hire and keep good people, not the market floor. Lahore would be slightly higher, and Islamabad a good bit higher.
- Peshawar, 2008. Pay bands by role. Data processors PKR 9,000–16,000/month (about 1.5–2.7x the Rs 6,000 minimum wage at the time). Project and QA coordinators PKR 12,000–15,000 (about 2.0–2.5x). Project managers PKR 20,000–30,000 (about 3.3–5.0x). Trainees started at about PKR 6,500–7,000 (about 1.1–1.2x).
- Peshawar, 2011. Pay bands by role, set in January 2011. Processors PKR 12,000–28,000 (about 1.7–4.0x the Rs 7,000 minimum). Project coordinators and leads PKR 18,000–28,000 (about 2.6–4.0x). Project managers PKR 40,000–60,000 (about 5.7–8.6x). Trainees PKR 9,500–10,500 (about 1.4–1.5x). On top of salary we paid a medical allowance of PKR 1,000–1,400/month, transport of about PKR 40–52 per day worked and meals of about PKR 7.5–10.5 per hour worked.
- Peshawar, 2013. Pay bands by role, set in early 2013. Processors PKR 12,000–28,000 (about 1.5–3.5x the Rs 8,000 minimum then in force). Transcribers PKR 10,000–20,000 (about 1.3–2.5x). Project coordinators and leads PKR 18,000–28,000 (about 2.3–3.5x). Project managers PKR 40,000–60,000 (about 5.0–7.5x). IT technicians PKR 15,000–25,000 (about 1.9–3.1x). Medical allowance PKR 1,667/month.
- Peshawar, 2017. Payroll for seven staff in January 2017: monthly salaries of about PKR 34,600–164,000 (median about PKR 57,600). That was about 2.5–11.7x the Rs 14,000 minimum wage at the time, with the median at about 4.1x. Against today's minimum of PKR 40,000, that median is only about 1.4x.
Figures come from my own pay bands (2008–2013) and payroll (2017) in the years shown, mostly for Peshawar staff. Minimum-wage multiples use the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa monthly unskilled-worker minimum wage in force when the figures were set: Rs 6,000 (2008), Rs 7,000 (2011), Rs 8,000 (early 2013) and Rs 14,000 (January 2017). Today's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minimum is PKR 40,000/month, so use the multiples, not the rupee amounts. Pay by role for each city stays 'Coming soon' until I have current figures.