Food inflation is about 24% or so in Pakistan, it is being said. And even petrol has become expensive. So by the middle of the month, everyone is feeling the pinch.

However, the one thing that isn’t going up, is our salaries in Pakistan. Governments raise salaries for their employees, but people working in the private sector have no such luck.

Counsellor Tahira Bano, while talking on the morning show, said that mental stress is going up because of financial stress. We are seeing more frustration playing out in Pakistan, she said. There is more road rage. “The stress is more evident at work.”

Life coach Aisha Bela said that major companies are grappling with the question of salaries.

Inflation is also hitting the freelancers in Pakistan’s gig economy. Irfan Jumani said that when there is a recessionary phase in any country’s economy this is a problem. Every second person is trying to upskill themselves to try to cope. You should focus on doing something on the side to get a side income, he recommended.