# Home-based workers in Lahore say they earn as little as Rs 50 an hour, unchanged for three years

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/home-based-workers-in-lahore-say-they-earn-as-little-as-rs-50-an-hour-unchanged)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 21 Oct 2026
Updated: 21 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 25 Oct 2026

> Women who stitch lace, shirts and toys at home for factories set out their piece rates on International Home-Based Workers Day. The numbers are stark.

**Home-based workers in Lahore say they are paid as little as Rs 50 an hour**, with piece rates unchanged for three years while electricity bills and living costs have climbed, [Business Recorder reported](https://www.brecorder.com/news/40445231/home-based-workers-earn-as-little-as-rs50-an-hour) from a meeting held to mark International Home-Based Workers Day.

The workers, most of them women who do piece work at home for garment, toy and textile suppliers, gave their own rates to the gathering organised with the Home-Based Workers Union and the Textile Power-loom Garment Workers Federation.

## What the work pays

| Work | Pay reported |
|---|---|
| Lace work, four hours non-stop | Rs 200 (about Rs 50 an hour) |
| Assembling 144 toy pieces over 8 to 12 hours | Rs 60 to Rs 100 |
| Attaching 1,444 small pearls | Rs 100 |
| Stitching one shirt over two full days | Rs 100 |
| A typical day's earnings for one worker | Rs 50 to Rs 100 |

At Rs 50 an hour, an eight-hour day earns Rs 400. Even working 26 days a month, that is about **Rs 10,400**, far below what a full-time factory job pays under the minimum wage. Speakers also said women are paid less than men for the same work.

## What the workers are asking for

- **Better piece rates** and decent working conditions
- **Equal pay** for women
- **Social security** registration, so home workers get the health and pension cover factory workers can claim
- **Protection from harassment** at work
- **Occupational health** help, since many described pain from long hours of repetitive stitching
- **Local union branches**, so they can approach the government together

Union president Ashra, vice president Jamila and general secretary Sabira spoke, along with the federation's general secretary Niaz Khan and LEF programme manager Irfan Elahi.

## Why it matters

Home-based workers make much of what Pakistan's export and local garment trade sells, but because they work at home through middlemen, they rarely appear on any payroll. That keeps them outside minimum wage enforcement, EOBI pensions and provincial social security.

## Check your own pay

If you do piece work, write down the hours each order takes and work out your hourly rate: it is the strongest argument when you negotiate with a contractor. Our [overtime calculator](/tools/finance/overtime-calculator) and [salary breakdown calculator](/tools/finance/salary-breakdown-calculator) can help you compare. If you are registered with an employer, the [EOBI calculator](/tools/finance/eobi-calculator) shows what pension you are building.

## Frequently asked questions

**How much do home-based workers earn in Lahore?**

Workers told a Lahore meeting on International Home-Based Workers Day that they earn as little as Rs 50 an hour, for example Rs 200 for four hours of lace work, Business Recorder reported.

## Sources

- Home-based workers earn as little as Rs50 an hour (21 Oct 2026) (Business Recorder): https://www.brecorder.com/news/40445231/home-based-workers-earn-as-little-as-rs50-an-hour

How to cite: "Home-based workers in Lahore say they earn as little as Rs 50 an hour, unchanged for three years", Searchable, 21 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/pakistan/home-based-workers-in-lahore-say-they-earn-as-little-as-rs-50-an-hour-unchanged