Middle East’s youth at a 'severe disadvantage'

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Nurturing imagination and talent in schoolchildren will develop a dynamic workforce and reduce dependence on oil.

Young people in the Middle East are not being equipped with the skills or experience to compete in a global talent market, a new study has suggested.

Conducted by executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles, the Middle East Talent Index is an attempt to map the potential hotspots for recruiting human capital in eight countries in the region. The region's poor results put it at a "severe disadvantage" and force it to rely on foreign workers, the findings stated.

Ayman Haddad, the search firm's managing partner for the Middle East and North Africa, said governments must pay more attention to developing the talent of their young people, who make up 65% of the population. "Raising the quality of universities and improving attitudes towards career development and management are paramount," he added.

Results were correlated from seven major indices, including quality of compulsory education systems, the quality of the environment to nurture talent and openness of the labour market.

"The new generation growing up in the Middle East has big ideas," continued Haddad. "Without imagination and talent, the dependence on oil will smother attempts to diversify these economies."

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