Careers · 3 min read
Pakistan IT: the 4 skills actually hiring as AI cuts juniors
Exports at a record, junior roles being cut. Where demand is going.
Usman · updated September 2026keyword: SHIFTPakistan IT exports hit a record ~$4.6B in FY26 (+21%); freelancers crossed $1B. But AI is cutting generic junior roles. Demand is shifting to four skills — a free start for each:
- AI / ML: roadmap.sh AI path + Andrej Karpathy “Zero to Hero” (YouTube).
- Cloud: a free AWS/Azure fundamentals course + one deployed project.
- Cybersecurity: TryHackMe + Security+ path.
- Data engineering: Python + SQL + one pipeline project. Pick one and go deep. (Sources: State Bank of Pakistan, Express Tribune 2026 — verify current.)