Unemployment could hit 14% in Arab world

JOBS WARNING: The Arab Labour Organisation has warned unemployment in the Arab world is expected to rise by 14 percent this year. (Getty Images)

The unemployment rate in the Arab world is expected to rise by 14 per cent this year, according to a report by the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO).

The region has the fastest population growth rate in the world with the Arab population reaching 338.4 million in 2008 compared with 319.2 million in 2006, reported UAE daily Gulf News on Sunday.

The first Arab report on employment and unemployment, released by the ALO, considered the unemployment problem as a major challenge facing the Arab world, where the jobless rate is among the highest in the world.

Speakers at the ALO conference warned that the growing unemployment in the Arab world was a ticking time bomb. They called for the adoption of proper strategies and revision of education policies to tackle the problem.

Poor education policies, the limited size of the private sector and the limited capacity of the public sector to employ Arab workforce, were highlighted by the speakers.

The report noted that Arab countries should increase economic growth from three per cent to seven per cent and pump $70 billion into their economies to create about five million jobs a year.

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