PERCEPTIONS OF MINORITY STUDENTS REGARDING JOB OPPORTUNITIES

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/grr.2022(VII-II).28      10.31703/grr.2022(VII-II).28      Published : Jun 2022
Authored by : Sarfraz Ali , Zobia Kanwal , Muhammad Mukhtyar

28 Pages : 291-302

    Abstract

    The purpose of the present qualitative research work was to investigate the perceptions of minority students about job availing opportunities and difficulties faced by them at workplaces and in accessing social facilities. A sample size of 20 respondents comprising Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and Sikhs were interviewed. After thematic analysis, the findings revealed that people in this society socially exclude religious minorities from the mainstream of society only because of their religion. Minorities do not have equal employment opportunities. People avoid interacting with religious minorities because they were regarded as untouchable. The government places the least importance on ensuring the safety of religious minorities. At the end the of research, it was suggested that little exposure has been witnessed in terms of academic research on the perspectives of minorities, especially the students. that is why wider academic research should be carried out at the university level.

    Key Words

    Minority Students, Job Opportunities, Perceptions, Workplace, Religious Minorities

    Introduction

    The present study intends to investigate the perceptions of minority students regarding job opportunities. According to Johnson (2002) the term "minority group" is often found in conversations of social equality and aggregate privileges, as individuals from minority groups are victimized in the nations and social orders where they live. Minority group individuals frequently confront separation in various aspects of civilized life, including housing, work, healthcare, and instruction, among others. Perkins and Wiley (2014) described that minorities are a group of people with different characteristics such as religion, ethnicity, race, and social and different qualities from other people. However, a community is a numerical minority, generally defined as a society that suffers from abusive and isolated emotional social positions. Examples of communities identified as minorities are African Americans, women, and others. Faruqi (2011) quoted that minority people are exceptionally deficient in the quantity of population. These are non-dominant in the population. They are different in religious and moral characters, which is a huge difference between minority and majority people (Faruqi 2011).


    Background of Minority Communities

    Pakistan being the Islamic Republic is a Muslim majority country. Malik (2002) describes that minorities are a very small part of the total population in Pakistan. A total of 190,000 million approximately 96% of the population practice Islam. Approximately 4 % of the total population follow different religions such as Hinduism and Christianity are minority religions without distinction. Khan (2014) stated that these figures reflect the fact that minorities will naturally have a limited opinion in social and state affairs. Moreover, the constitution of Pakistan also restricts any minority member from holding the position of president and prime minister. 

    Yusuf (2016) stated that non-Muslims were allowed to worship in temples and churches and perform their rituals and ceremonies. They were also allowed to do business, study and work in any organization. However, making laws to protect their rights and freedoms is not the priority of the state or the government. Many acts and legislations regarding minorities in Pakistan were inherited from the British Raj. All of these laws have only a few amendments, such as the Minority Family Law. Yusuf (2016) further described that Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world with a population of 212.2 million. More than 96% of the population follows Islam, and the remaining 4% follow various religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and others. That is why all the constitutions of Pakistan guarantee equal rights and freedom of life to the minorities, however, it seems that their rights are being curtailed in the social setup. Therefore, the present study focuses on the job opportunities for minorities and their personal experiences for availing themselves of jobs and after getting job opportunities.


    Literature on Job Opportunities and Job Status of Minorities

    According to Alam (2021), the socioeconomic condition of minority groups and their members was a significant predictor of the country's overall growth. However, religious minorities, in particular, were subject to many sorts of economic inequality. Previous studies concentrated solely on minorities' economic status. However, some academics have labelled some impediments to the advancement of socioeconomic status as 'Job Impediments,' which are related to minority views and employment circumstances and prospects. According to Light (2005), as stated in Modood and Khattab (2016), minorities have encountered (perceived) discrimination in the job market, which has all resulted in a lesser dependence on self-employment.

    Yunus et al. (2012) have discussed the Problems faced by religious minorities in the school quarter. they suggested that the literacy rate of spiritual minorities was low, that the curriculum was biased against them, and that the textbooks contained material that incited intolerance and violence against them within society. Religious minorities are burdened within the country's education quarter.

    Alam (2021) described that many minorities in Pakistan suffer from unemployment and lack of income. These people associate well-being with the availability of remaining employment opportunities as their primary requirement. Alam (2021) further stated in his study that minorities were excluded in some cases because of their racial and ethnic abnormal religious affiliations and sometimes because of their failure to pay strong bribes to elected officials. Minorities were neglected in providing employment and business opportunities because they could not pay the bribes demanded to get them. However, the job selection process was discriminated against which was a major cause of low socioeconomic status and poverty.  They were living in poor conditions. As a result, they lost their academic credentials and failed to lead a normal life. Therefore their education qualification was wasted. Furthermore, the majority of religious minorities are employed on a contract or on a daily rate. Minorities have been put in such insecure employment for many years, according to Das et al. (2011) and Kijima (2006), since businesses had to offer lesser wages and other perks compared to normal workers. As a result, they became impoverished. Gregory and Valentine (2009) discovered that religious minorities were refused jobs and faced discrimination in the workplace. The majority of bribed members and (others) worked in skilled, well-paying employment, while a minority worked in temporary, low-wage, and unskilled positions. According to Alam (2021), the socioeconomic condition of minority groups and their members was a significant predictor of the country's overall growth.

    Minority rights group international (2016) discovered that negative stereotypes in

    controversial posters and versions of street wall chalking increased hostility against deep religious minorities. Bell (2002) noted that they were called various racist names, such as 'sawdust' or 'chura' (an insulting term used for the caste of black Christian sweepers in Pakistan).  In this study, portrayal and bullying are coded as 'Workplace Bullying.' Workers' unions and social protection nets are non-existent. Workers' unions and social security networks do not exist. Workers' unions play an important role in the political, economic and social life of workers. The existence of working groups in any organizational system is an essential part of the life of the working class. On the other side, religious minorities, frequently miss out on the benefits of trade unions in which their members work or face job loss as a result of institutional pressure.

    Beall (2002) stated that religious minorities were often work in employment structures and various minorities did not have opportunities for advancement. Many minorities in Pakistan, particularly those working as sweepers or painters in the public sector, have little potential for advancement and are paid the same wage for the duration of their employment. Opportunities for promotion are vital for raising the economic standards of any group.

    According to Alam (2021), minorities were primarily engaged in hazardous work such as sweeping and clearing drains, among other things. They were not provided with personal protective equipment to keep them safe from dust and other hazardous pollutants.

    As a result, they were afflicted with various skin and lung diseases. Religious minorities in Pakistan were frequently forced to work all day without access to drinking water or toilet facilities (Faruqi 2011). Such workplace deprivation contributes to health issues in minorities.

    Significance of the Study

    The present study would be helpful in many ways. Which are described in the following section.

    Firstly, this study would add valuable knowledge to the existing debate about minorities and their conditions in Pakistan. Secondly, this study would be helpful to know about the real challenges and issues of minority students. Thirdly, this study will be helpful to initiate a further scholarly debate regarding the provision of adequate job opportunities and equal rights to minorities in Pakistan. Lastly, the results of the study may be used to enlighten government representatives and key institutions about the true problems of minority research. This information can further be used to make a change in the existing body of policymaking for minorities.  


    Statement of the Problem

    The primary aim of the current research was to investigate the perceptions of minority students regarding job opportunities in Punjab. I was interested to know about the life of minorities and how they live in society, and social places, as they are different by race, religion and so on.  My slightest concern for minorities made me excited to know about their views and their personal and social experiences. These things make me curious to know how many hurdles in working place they are facing in their daily life.

    Minorities in Pakistan are also given equal opportunities, justice and freedom as compared to the majority in Pakistan. It has to do with their spiritual and cultural customs, education, health care, security, profession or livelihood, every elected government has tried to maintain and ensure the integrity of minorities. However, the revised literature shows that the perceptions and views of minorities have not been researched and not given due attention. So, my concern was about the situation that I saw in terms of employment opportunities for minorities in society and their level of utility to take advantage of these opportunities. It has been observed that society, knowingly or unknowingly, denies the existence of ethnic issues, and diminishes and neglects the provision of minority rights. This is consistent with cases of faith in model minorities and misrepresentation of ethnic showcases that are permeating Pakistani culture.


    Objectives of the Study

    To achieve the significant aim of the study, the

    researcher set some objectives in the light of the intention of the study:

    1. To explore the minorities' awareness of

     the availability of job opportunities.

    2. To explore the status of job opportunities available for minorities.

    3. To explore barriers faced by minorities in availing job opportunities.

    Methodology

    A qualitative approach was considered appropriate in this study because the current research issue demands a qualitative strategy for this research study. This study focuses on people's sentiments and perceptions, which are vital in explaining this societal problem (Jaggar, 1989 & Sprague and Zimmerman, 1993). The research plan of this study was qualitative research in nature because the target of this research was to investigate the apparent hazard and minority issues in working places. Qualitative research is required to investigate the general population's importance framework.  And also, how individuals see their reality in competitors to specific issues (Wright, 2000).


    Research Design

    Semi-structured interviews were conducted because of their evident advantages in data collection. The primary motivation for pursuing a qualitative research approach was the desire to contact individuals directly in order to acquire preliminary data.


    Population

    To investigate the perceptions of minority students regarding job opportunities, the population of this study consisted of the minority students of Punjab province from district Okara. However, due to certain study limitations, the targeted population was comprised of students of the University of Okara. 


    Sampling

    The purposive sampling was considered most suitable for this study. Purposive sampling often known as judgmental sampling is a non-probability sampling method. The enrollment of minority students using purposing sampling techniques was considered to help reach out to the meditating respondents sufficiently for the purposeful classification of data. I collected the data from the purposive participants. The estimated initial sample consisted of 20 students, which might be increased as per data requirement.


    Data Collection Method and Instrument

    Data were collected through interviews with respondents. Semi-structured interviews were used to gain an in-depth understanding of the problem as well as to obtain the necessary data. And also captured respondents' diverse and creative perspectives on a single research issue. All questions asked during the interview were open as a scholarly discussion to avoid pressuring to give a specific answer. The researcher arranged the interviews to give the respondents the opportunity to provide complete data, which gave them more freedom to express their views and perspectives on the research issues. The data collection tool was developed in the light of reviewed literature and to validate the purpose of the study. The interview questions were divided into sub-questions. In which the main topics were suggested in order to simplify the purpose of the basic question and obtain more accurate information. The themes of this analysis were pre-determined. The sub-themes had identified based on the acquired response following information gathering through interviews. This data collection tool enables the researcher to go beyond the planned questions in order to acquire a fair and square grip on the drenched data collection. The tool was created by me under the management of my supervisor. I developed the interview questions as a tool for collecting data, which was examined and investigated by the supervisor. The tool was attested by some other supervisors and researchers for pilot testing and to ensure the validity of the tool.


    Data Analysis Method

    The thematic analysis method chose for

     qualitative data analysis to identify the patterns from the obtained material. The transcribed data was in the form of raw information which was arranged at first sorted and then I read the structured data several times to become acquainted with it. The data was coded to identify and categorize themes. Themes were re-examined to guarantee the maximum possible results. Coding was done manually or through software, depending on the type of data and then reported immediately by following the data explanation to obtain the study's conclusion.


    Ethical Considerations

    In this study, the researcher described to the participant the problems and objectives of the research. The researcher was given the members to choose purposely whether to participate in the investigation or not. The research included that the researcher would ask respondents ethical questions. There were clear points of confinement kept up between information got from the participants and the information given by the researcher. Moreover, the privacy of data was maintained and the researcher tried to avoid any bias during the data analysis. During data analysis, it was kept in mind not to hurt any minority group member's sentiments.

    Results

    Theme 1: Minorities' Awareness of Availability of Job Opportunities

    Awareness is termed as having some kind of consciousness about something. Awareness about anything someone is inquiring about is essential for a better understanding of the specific phenomenon, setup, or subject matter. Consequently, we could be capable of resolving the related problems or issue persuasively. The capability of knowing the setup and the solution of the problem, allows us to make influential alterations and also to construct and make stronger our area of interest by making improvements, relatively, the awareness of minorities’ rights of job opportunities and privileges of employment.

    Respondents provide different answers to the question on their awareness and understanding of job opportunities. and the respondents provide both optimistic and negative answers.

    For example, respondent R1 responds that “I am not sure that I have any specific understanding of job opportunities, which the Islamic state Pakistan provides. Due to lack of interest, I am not fully aware of job opportunities and specific quota for minorities and also not properly aware of Pakistan’s constitutional rights”.

    Another respondent R9 responds that“I have a lot of awareness and understanding of job opportunities because I live in Pakistan and citizen of the society”.

    The minority students are also providing various perspectives about what they understand the minority perceptions regarding job opportunities.


    Awareness Regarding Job Opportunities

    The majority of respondents replied like Respondent R20 says

    "I can say that there is found an intelligence sense seeking career opportunities of minorities. I observed in many fields like the army, section officers, and a member of the minority was appointed as Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan".Respondent R6 replies in a way that

    "According to me, those who attained the education inferior to graduation level are not fully aware of the sense of career seeking opportunities".


    Awareness Regarding Job Availing Procedure

    Interviewees give different kinds of answers, positive and contrary, in interviews The majority of students provide different statements for example respondent R11 gives his views that "I am a young student of minorities. I observed with my experience that short-term interview replies in two kinds of answers. One is those young students of minorities who attained the education bachelors to master are aware of the procedure of getting hired for a job in different fields of life as a job seeker. And the other is those who are not well educated might be they qualified for the written exams but they cannot be qualified in interviews''.

    Respondent R3 says that "I think I might be slightly aware of the procedure of attaining

    the job opportunities". Another respondent R15 straightforwardly answered that, "I am the younger student of the minority who has attained the education that is inferior to graduation that's why I am not fully aware of the procedure of availing the job".

     Similarly, some of the mature members of the minority community give statements that for example respondent R7 "In our arena approximately ten years ago we were not well-educated & also the procedure of hiring was simple. But nowadays most of our youngsters are well-educated and aware about the procedures to be hired in Govt./ private sector".  


    Concluding Remarks of the Main Theme

    All Respondents provide different answers to the question on their awareness and understanding of job opportunities. All of them provide optimistic and contrary answers. As a result of the answers of respondents, it emerged that all minority individuals have different perceptions about job opportunities and job availing procedures. Respondents' thoughts after taking interviews were that the awareness of minorities regarding job opportunities is limited. The limited means, the peoples of Minorities who are not well qualified (undergraduate) are not fully aware of the job-seeking options & on another side. Only fewer who are well qualified (above graduation) are fully aware of the job-seeking procedure. A lot of reasons behind it such as those who were well educated, they knew all information about job opportunities, job procedures and rights. On the other hand, those who were not aware of job opportunities and job availing procedures of many reasons behind it like lack of education, lack of interest, lack of awareness and so on.


    Theme 2: Status of Job Opportunities for Minorities

    According to the analysis of the data interviews taken from the majority of minority students, the responses observed respondent R2 answered that "I thought job opportunities are available in

     Pakistan as per the policy of recruitment under the law prevailing nowadays in a specific percentage of minorities in the whole population of Pakistan. But in some Departments at the time of recruitment, when an opportunity advertisement is published in a newspaper, the ratio of minorities (compared to the whole population of Pakistan) is neglected and given chances of opportunities only for the majority (Muslims). It's a very depressive situation of the Government of Pakistan as perceived by respondents that the Govt. not take any serious step toward the above said the situation".


    Career Opportunities for Minorities

     The majority of respondents said that, for example, respondent R13 replied to the question in the following words,

    " I think that nowadays, there are not many kinds of career opportunities in every field of life for the minority. It is well observed by analyzing the advertisement of opportunities which clearly shows the specified opportunities for minorities. There are various hurdles in career building for minorities if any members of minorities want to grow up".


    Standard of Job for Minorities

    The standard of job for minorities are very low. The Quota seats are limited. 

    A respondent R8 also highlighted the aspects of job standards for minorities as a sense of civility. She addressed her perspective in the following words

    Respondent R8 responds that "I thought there are also fix some sub-standard impliedly which shown at the time of selection by interview after taken written examination for the candidates of minorities failed selection. Such kind of failure of selection of minorities shows some implied barriers in the way of availing job opportunities for minorities".

    Some of the respondents further added that For example, respondent R12 "For me, there is no specific standard fix for the job opportunities specified for the minorities compared to the majority (Muslims)".

    The majority of respondents think that job opportunities for minorities must be available but in some fields; for example, R- 17 thinks that "In my view, job opportunities are available in some fields which are low scales jobs. the employment level is too low for minorities which cannot fulfil the need of a house, nowadays, it's too hard to run a house, a family living in Pakistan".


    Specified Quota for Minorities

    Some of the respondents gave their views,

    For example, respondent R19 "I think there is no lack of opportunities for minorities but lack of education on the end of minorities".

     Another small group of respondents had different schools of thought that "I feel that there is the presence of lack of opportunities for minorities and also point out some evidence like, e.g., Quota specific for minorities and even some time Quota is not specified for minorities in job opportunities".


    Concluding Remarks on this Theme

    It is also observed that there is no particular standard fix only for Minorities. The standard is fixed for whole candidates who desire to pursue a job, including Minorities & Majority. In the end, it can be said that there were some advertisements regarding employment-seeking opportunities. The specified quota for minorities is not found. The reason is that the department for which advertising is published is not suitable for minorities, e.g., Islamic department, mosque staff of the university, home tuition for the majority of children and head of any Islamic institution. after taking many interviews of Minority people, respondents respond that there is no illegality in the Publishing of job opportunities advertisements. The job opportunities specified for minorities are enough to follow the population of minorities in Pakistan. And it is also observed that the Minority Quota is limited in every advertisement regarding job opportunities.


    Theme 3: Barriers to Availing Job Opportunities

    Different respondents give various

    statements about external and internal barriers to job opportunities. internal barriers are personal and educational barriers. This section's obstacles or difficulties are potentially relevant to all careers and are not unique to minority ethnic groups. Commonly reported barriers here were grouped into two types: attitudinal Attitudes, e.g., shame, pride, wanting to be together, and congruence with personal beliefs. Availability of services barriers (e.g., timing and funding restrictions not seeing the need for services, reluctance to involve outsiders, pride or shame low awareness of services, lack of information, cost, and service availability) and practical barriers


    Personal, Educational, Attitudinal, and Financially Barriers

    According to respondent R16, “One of the most significant challenges for me as minority people is a lack of higher education, attitude, and infrastructure regarding exceptional job opportunities for Minorities. I think another internal barrier is that some people of the minority who are highly educated are not like to serve as public servants in Pakistan and want to give their services in Foreign Countries. Another big reason for minorities is abroad jobs that compared to Pakistan, they earn much & enjoy a more joyful, precious and facilitated life there. And another reason for the above situation is that the foreign countries give visas to the minority with infrequent complications as compared to Majority (Muslims)”.

    Another respondent responds that, “I am not satisfied with my current economic position at working place. I work for long hours having a lesser salary. No one acknowledges and realizes my work by increasing my salary neither we are given good jobs to improve our economic condition”.


    Encouragement and Discouragement

    The majority of respondents say that For example, respondent 18 states that "Lack of self-esteem further discourages me from advocating for myself, expressing my talents, and showcasing my achievements. I commonly face workplace bullying, which means that not only I am hesitant to put myself forward. I also show reluctance in raising complaints or voicing concerns for fear of being judged ill-favourably. 

    Another respondent further added "I think people from marginalized groups are often afraid of putting their vulnerability out in the open. Exposure is typically considered a weakness; members of marginalized groups can do anything to avoid the appearance of not being strong enough. Like women, ethnic minorities have often had to work twice as hard to prove themselves with less cushion for failure. The idea of exposing how they feel or think or opening themselves up can seem dangerous. Encouraging minorities to participate in community engagement can be an overwhelmingly arduous task. It's too often that these community members don't participate in consultations for various reasons”.


    Concluding Remarks on this Theme

    According to the responses in the third theme, it was declared that minority respondents were living in Pakistan. They had many economic, social and especially workplace problems. External and internal barriers are too severe for the minority as well as the majority. Minorities were facing serious situations. But in Pakistan, minorities lose their confidence due to the misbehaviour of society and especially suffer in the workplace, companies, schools etc.

    Findings

    There are some findings that were made in light of the analysis of the data in the research. This section presents a summary of the findings after data analysis.

    The first question in this study was pursued to determine the awareness of the availability of job opportunities Based on this question, I came up with the finding of the first theme of the study. 


    Theme 1: Minorities' Lack of Awareness about Availability of Job Opportunities

    In response to research question 1, the results

    of the study revealed that the awareness of minority students regarding job opportunities is not so reasonable. The majority of respondents provide different answers to the question on their awareness of job opportunities and availability of job procedures. All of them provide optimistic and contrary answers. As a result of the answers of respondents, it emerged that all minority individuals have different perceptions some of them were aware of job opportunities and job availability procedures and some were not highly aware of opportunities and job availing procedures. There were plenty of reasons were revealed by the responses behind the lack of awareness like the lack of proper knowledge and low level of educated, as well as lack of interest in the available job fields. On the other hand, it was also found that the respondents who had the proper awareness, possessed adequate information about job opportunities, and job availing procedures. 


    Theme 2: Status of Job Opportunities for Minorities

    Respondents were also asked about the awareness of minorities regarding job opportunities and after taking interviews it was found that job opportunities for minorities are limited. The limited means, the people of minorities who are not well qualified (undergraduate) are not fully aware of the job-seeking options. Only a few of them who are well qualified (graduated) are adequately aware of the job-seeking procedure. It was also observed that there is no particular standard fixed only for minorities. The standard is fixed for whole candidates who desire to pursue a job, including minorities and the majority. In the end, it can be said that there were some advertisements regarding employment-seeking opportunities. The specified quota for minorities is not found. The reason is that the department for which advertising is published is not suitable for minorities, e.g., Islamic department, mosque staff of the university, home tuition for the majority of children and head of any Islamic institution. after taking many interviews of minority people, respondents respond that there is no illegality in the Publishing of job opportunities advertisements in newspapers. The job opportunities specified for minorities in every advertisement published in the newspaper are enough in accordance with the rule of the population for minorities in Pakistan. And it is also observed that the minority quota is limited in every advertisement regarding job opportunities because there are also minorities are fewer as compared to the Majority that's why we call them the minority party.


    Theme 3: Barriers to Availing Job Opportunities

    As a result of answering the third research question, respondents were also asked about contextual barriers after availing of job opportunities. After analysing the data, the result shows that minorities who are living in Pakistan, suffer a lot of problems such as economically, socially, politically and especially in the working place where both majority and minorities are working side by side in the same place in the same scenario. In the above-said circumstances where both majority & minorities are found it is also mandatory that they are offered their religious obligations and the consequences are awful for minorities because they are from the minority. The external and internal barriers are very harsh and rigid for minorities in a religious society such as Pakistan because people not accepting them equal on the basis of their identity, they always offer low paid, low status, low standard and humiliating career opportunities such as sweeper, peon, security guard labour and so on. The minority is facing serious circumstances. But in Pakistan with the rude behaviour of society toward minorities, minorities lose their confidence and suffer difficulties, especially in working places companies and so on.

    Discussion

    In light of the findings of this study, minorities are facing various obstacles in social life, particularly in their working places. The perceptions of minority students about job opportunities are important research on the overall minority obstacles which they confront in working place. In any case, minorities, particularly strict minorities, are defenceless against various types of working spot imbalances. Past investigations focused exclusively on the financial circumstance of minorities. Nonetheless, this study has investigated a few new factors, coded as "impression of minorities, which are related to the work states of the minorities. Murtaza (2013) stated that discrimination prevailed against all kinds of minorities such as religious, cultural and so on. Individuals faced difficulties especially in communities in all sectors of life after the independence. As well as the findings of Puniyani (2014) that the essential demanding situations faced by spiritual minorities encompass unemployment, illiteracy, marginalization, safety threats, housing, political representation, and lack of freedom of expression and freedom of choice, etc. Tahir and Tahira (2016) described that at present, Pakistan has got to be an unsafe state for religious minorities. The move from Islamic fundamentalism to radicalism is the result of destitute government policies and political fears of taking activity against radical groups

    The present study found the lesser awareness of minority students regarding job opportunities and availability of job procedures. Minority awareness is not so reasonable. There were plenty of reasons were revealed by the responses behind the lack of awareness like the lack of proper knowledge and lack of education, as well as lack of interest in the available job fields. On the other hand, it is also found that the respondents who had the proper awareness, possessed adequate information about job opportunities, and job availing procedures. In line with Ali (2015); Fuchs and Fuchs (2020) job opportunities for minorities are limited. The limited means, the people of minorities who are not well qualified (undergraduate) are not fully aware of the job-seeking options. Only a few of them who are well qualified (graduated) are adequately aware of the job-seeking procedure. It was also observed that there is no particular standard fixed only for minorities. The specified quota for minorities is not found and is enough for minorities. The reason is that the department for which advertising is published is not suitable for minorities, e.g., the Islamic department, mosque staff of the university, home tuition for the majority of children and the head of any Islamic institution. There is no illegality in the Publishing of job opportunities advertisements in newspapers. The job opportunities specified for minorities in every advertisement published in the newspaper are enough in accordance with the rule of the population for minorities in Pakistan. It is also observed that the minority quota is limited in every advertisement regarding job opportunities because there are also minorities are fewer as compared to the Majority that's why we call them the minority party.

    Minorities are confronting various issues at working places.  The external and internal barriers are very harsh and rigid for minorities in a religious society such as Pakistan because people not accepting them equal on the basis of their identity, they always offer low paid, low status, low standard and humiliating career opportunities such as sweeper, peon, security guard labour and so on. The minority is facing serious circumstances. In Pakistan, the rude behaviour of society toward the minorities, minorities lose their confidence and suffer difficulties, especially in working places companies and so on. Minority people face discriminating attitudes during their selection, wages, workload and promotion criteria or during the promotion time period. The people are not accepting the minority people as a boss. The majority of people raise many harassing questions to minority people for humiliating them. They put the whole burden of work on the prayer time on the minority employees. Minority employees are disturbed in some fields due to the humiliating behaviour of people towards them because the majority of the people are not accepting them as a colleague or team members. 

    Conclusion

    To conclude one can easily that "Job seeking opportunities for Minorities" is an important topic to discuss and to explore the questions that arose regarding above mention topic. It is not meaningless if I said that some minority members are not highly educated and are not fully aware of the procedure of job-seeking opportunities on the other side only some of them are highly educated and are fully aware of the job opportunities and procedures regarding job-seeking. According to the finding of the study, it is concluded that the biggest hurdle for the minorities for job opportunities and job-seeking procedures is awareness which is not common in the minorities. Only some of them are highly qualified and aware of their steps towards success, career building and job seeking as well as they are aware of the superior type of exams of the Country e. g, CSS PMS PPSC etc. And as a result, we see them at a high level of Admin. Jobs like DC, AC, Commissioners, Justices etc. Minorities are in very rare quantity at jobs as compared to the majority. It is based upon the selection and selection procedure of jobs and also upon the recruitment policies made by Government officials. The recruitment policies are made upon many bases like Education, Physical Appearance of candidates, Body language, Psychology of Candidates and also one of them is very important is population residing in the country, in which it is too considered that in how much strength majority and minority are in quantity? and what percentage of vacancies are enough for minority & majority to accommodate them in a good manner and in a balanced way of recruitment. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973 gives the rights to the minorities which are protected and explained by Courts of Law.  So, it also concluded that as a result of the quota specified for minorities, the minorities are satisfied with the vacancies allotted in quota for them in each and every corner so that's why in the whole age of the country not even a single writ petition is registered against any recruitment body against the percentage specified for minorities in any Court of Law like High Court and Supreme Court.

    The findings of the study are that barriers to availing of job opportunities of minorities the 1st thing which emerges with power is identity acceptance. At the time of scrutinisation, when majority and minority peoples are at a venue of selection, the minority is highly disappointed by the majority with different kinds of behaviours, attitudes, and different kinds of questions raised by the majority to the minority. And it is also be concluded that there is very different kind of atmosphere is created by the majority and minority people that everyone can see that the whole crowd comes to engage in the procedure of job seeking opportunities is divided into two groups, one bigger of them it belongs to majority & another one is presenting the minority. And the knowledge sharing Compiegne which is running at the time of selection of candidates at the selection venue only runs between the majority & majority. Not even a single word of knowledge is shared from majority to minority. It shows crystal clear that it is a very tough environment for the minority to maintain their confidence. It is a very depressive and discouraging environment for the minority to engage in job-seeking opportunities, that's why very rare people are engaging in job-seeking opportunities. 

    Recommendations

    This study aimed to investigate the perceptions of minority students regarding job opportunities. After a thorough analysis of data and concluding the study, it peruses the following recommendations for the readers, who might be scholars and researchers. 

    The findings of this research recommended that minorities should be provided with adequate awareness regarding job opportunities and job availing procedures. This research also suggested that minority students should be given a right to live in their educational and working social set-up. Minority students should be provided with due respect in society.

    In the light of 2nd findings of the study recommended that all kind of minorities should necessarily educate their children. Minority communities should acquire higher education for availing better job opportunities.  Higher education could impact the professional and financial growth of minorities. Government should provide more job Quota more than 4 %. Government should play an active role in this regard by developing a general consensus through the involvement of all stakeholders.

    The finding of the study recommended that minority communities should acquire higher education for availing better job opportunities. Higher education could impact the professional and financial growth of minorities. Government as well as educational institutes should provide facilities and opportunities for minorities to live a better life in society and working areas of job places. 

References

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  • Ali, S. S. (1997). Women's Human Rights in Islam: Towards a Theoretical Framework. Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law Online, 4(1), 117-152 https://doi.org/10.1163/221129898X00062
  • Beall, J. (2002). Globalization and social exclusion in cities: framing the debate with lessons from Africa and Asia. Environment and urbanization, 14(1), 41-51 https://doi.org/10.1177/095624780201400104
  • Das, P. K., Kar, S., & Kayal, M. (2011). Religious Minorities and the Provision of Public Goods: Evidence from Rural West Bengal https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1968105
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  • Khan, H. (2014). Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan. Karachi: OxfordUniversity Press, GOP. Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
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  • Malik, I. H. (2002). Religious minorities in Pakistan (Vol. 6). London: Minority rights group international.
  • Modood, T., & Khattab, N. (2016). Explaining ethnic differences: Can ethnic minority strategies reduce the effects of ethnic penalties? Sociology, 50(2), 231-246 https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038515575
  • Murtaza, N., & Pakistan, I. N. S. P. I. R. I. N. G. (2017). Undermining Local Governance: A Review of the Sindh Local Government System, 2013. Karachi: Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research
  • Perkins, K., & Wiley, S. (2014) Minorities. In: Teo T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583- 7_18811
  • Sprague, J., & Zimmerman, M. K. (1993). Overcoming dualisms: A feminist agenda for sociological methodology. Theory on gender/feminism on theory, 255-280.
  • Tahir, H., & Tahira, I. (2016). Freedom of Religion and Status of Religious Minorities in Pakistan. International Journal of Management Sciences and Business Research, 5(12)
  • Wright, L. T. (2O00). Qualitative research. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management
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  • Yunus, A., Khan, N. R., & Ali, Z. (2012). Exploring the Patterns of Perceived Discrimination among Hindu and Christians Minorities, Regarding Educational Opportunities. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(12), 2186-2194
  • Alam, J. (2021). Religious Minorities as Victims of Poverty: Exploring the Socio-Economic Impediments behind Their Poor Economic Status in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa- Pakistan. Journal of Religious & Theological Information, 20(2), 35-48 https://doi.org/10.1080/10477845.2020.1832360
  • Ali, S. S. (1997). Women's Human Rights in Islam: Towards a Theoretical Framework. Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law Online, 4(1), 117-152 https://doi.org/10.1163/221129898X00062
  • Beall, J. (2002). Globalization and social exclusion in cities: framing the debate with lessons from Africa and Asia. Environment and urbanization, 14(1), 41-51 https://doi.org/10.1177/095624780201400104
  • Das, P. K., Kar, S., & Kayal, M. (2011). Religious Minorities and the Provision of Public Goods: Evidence from Rural West Bengal https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1968105
  • Gregory, S., & Valentine, S. R. (2009). Pakistan: The situation of religious minorities. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ report. Writenet: UK.
  • Jaggar, A. M. (1989). Love and knowledge: Emotion in feminist epistemology. Inquiry, 32(2), 151-176 https://doi.org/10.1080/00201748908602185
  • Johnson, K. R. (2002). The Struggle for Civil Rights: The Need for, and Impediments to, Political Coalitions Among and Within Minority Groups. La. L. Rev., 63, 759.
  • Khan, H. (2014). Constitutional and Political History of Pakistan. Karachi: OxfordUniversity Press, GOP. Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan
  • Kijima, Y. (2006). Caste and tribe inequality: evidence from India, 1983–1999. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 54(2), 369-404 http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/497008
  • Light, I. (2005). The ethnic economy. In: Smelser NJ and Swedberg R (eds) The Handbook of Economic Sociology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 650–677
  • Malik, I. H. (2002). Religious minorities in Pakistan (Vol. 6). London: Minority rights group international.
  • Modood, T., & Khattab, N. (2016). Explaining ethnic differences: Can ethnic minority strategies reduce the effects of ethnic penalties? Sociology, 50(2), 231-246 https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038515575
  • Murtaza, N., & Pakistan, I. N. S. P. I. R. I. N. G. (2017). Undermining Local Governance: A Review of the Sindh Local Government System, 2013. Karachi: Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research
  • Perkins, K., & Wiley, S. (2014) Minorities. In: Teo T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583- 7_18811
  • Sprague, J., & Zimmerman, M. K. (1993). Overcoming dualisms: A feminist agenda for sociological methodology. Theory on gender/feminism on theory, 255-280.
  • Tahir, H., & Tahira, I. (2016). Freedom of Religion and Status of Religious Minorities in Pakistan. International Journal of Management Sciences and Business Research, 5(12)
  • Wright, L. T. (2O00). Qualitative research. Wiley Encyclopedia of Management
  • Yousaf, F. (2016). The pelight of Religious Minorities in Pakistan. SADF FOCUS (12), 1- 10.
  • Yunus, A., Khan, N. R., & Ali, Z. (2012). Exploring the Patterns of Perceived Discrimination among Hindu and Christians Minorities, Regarding Educational Opportunities. International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2(12), 2186-2194

Cite this article

    CHICAGO : Ali, Sarfraz, Zobia Kanwal, and Muhammad Mukhtyar. 2022. "Perceptions of Minority Students Regarding Job Opportunities." Global Regional Review, VII (II): 291-302 doi: 10.31703/grr.2022(VII-II).28
    HARVARD : ALI, S., KANWAL, Z. & MUKHTYAR, M. 2022. Perceptions of Minority Students Regarding Job Opportunities. Global Regional Review, VII, 291-302.
    MHRA : Ali, Sarfraz, Zobia Kanwal, and Muhammad Mukhtyar. 2022. "Perceptions of Minority Students Regarding Job Opportunities." Global Regional Review, VII: 291-302
    MLA : Ali, Sarfraz, Zobia Kanwal, and Muhammad Mukhtyar. "Perceptions of Minority Students Regarding Job Opportunities." Global Regional Review, VII.II (2022): 291-302 Print.
    OXFORD : Ali, Sarfraz, Kanwal, Zobia, and Mukhtyar, Muhammad (2022), "Perceptions of Minority Students Regarding Job Opportunities", Global Regional Review, VII (II), 291-302
    TURABIAN : Ali, Sarfraz, Zobia Kanwal, and Muhammad Mukhtyar. "Perceptions of Minority Students Regarding Job Opportunities." Global Regional Review VII, no. II (2022): 291-302. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2022(VII-II).28