Youth
How to boost youth employment in Pakistan for the age of AI
With AI overhauling workplaces worldwide, Global South countries such as Pakistan need employment infrastructure that focuses on opportunities for young job-seekers.
Rohail Iqbal
Rohail Iqbal is a technologist, community builder, and emerging leader working at the intersection of responsible AI, workforce development, and civic infrastructure in Pakistan.
As Curator of the Global Shapers Peshawar Hub under the World Economic Forum, he leads youth-driven initiatives across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — where 66% of the population is under 30 and access to quality career guidance remains critically limited.
Rohail's leadership philosophy is simple: build the person before you build the project. He creates grassroots multipliers — training young people not just to succeed, but to go back and bring others with them. Through 40+ programs, he has directly mentored 1,000+ students, organized Peshawar's first TEDx since 2019, and contributed to ClimaSynth — winner of the WEF Innovation Prize 2025.
He is currently developing a career counseling and mentorship fellowship for KPK youth — combining structured industry mentorship with AI-powered career mapping to help young people navigate an AI-transformed job market their education systems have not prepared them for. Responsible deployment of AI for human capital development, not hype.
Selected as a Global Shapers Delegate for the inaugural Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders 2026 in Dubai, Rohail represents the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders building from the margins — not toward them.
His vision: turn cities like Peshawar from talent reservoirs into innovation exporters.
Most Popular