The project is part of a multi-country review of the impact of globalisation on labour and employment. Pakistan's economy has undergone a steady process of globalisation since around 1988. The paper provides a brief overview of the political economy of this process, with a particular focus on the most recent decade. Labour data are analysed to see how trade liberalisation has affected employment and workforce trends in Pakistan, in comparison with promised outcomes. It is shown that informal institutions play a key role in shaping labour market outcomes, and hence the impact of globalisation.