ArabianBusiness.com - Middle East Business News
Sunday, 05 July 2009 08:15 UAE time

YOUR DIRECTORY /

| Share |

Arab world facing unemployment crisis

by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  on Sunday, 16 November 2008

Unemployment in Arab states, already running at 15 percent according to United Nations figures, could rise even further on the back of the global economic crisis, a conference in Doha was told on Saturday.

"We must get to grips with the impact on development and the employment market in the Arab world of the crisis shaking the world and disrupting financial markets," Ahmed Luqman, director general of the Arab Labour Organisation, told the Arab Forum on Development and Employment.

"The Arab nation must be in danger, with a high unemployment rate hitting our countries for the past two decades," he told participants who included around 20 Arab ministers.

Story continues below
advertisement

On top of 17 million people unemployed, Arab nations need to create jobs for the four million young people who enter their employment markets each year, Luqman said.

Amat Al-Alim Alsowa, head of the UN Development Programme's regional office, said the unemployment rate averages 15 percent in the Arab world.

But it reaches 40 percent among people aged between 15 and 24, totalling 66 million out of the total Arab population of 317 million, of whom one third are under 14, she said.

The severity of the jobless rate "is an enormous challenge for Arab countries and their economies, even for their stability because of the effects of the global crisis and the risk of recession in the world", warned Amr Mussa, secretary general of the Arab League.

The forum's conclusions will be submitted to the Arab Economic Summit, scheduled for January in Kuwait, which will focus on poverty and unemployment.


For news updates sign up for our newsletter
| Share |


READERS' COMMENTS

Disclaimer: The views expressed here by our readers are not necessarily shared by ArabianBusiness.com or its employees.
such simple solution...
Posted by james, Bahrain on Monday 17 November 2008 at 10:09 UAE time

well said mohammad! your solution is so simple and clear, that is blindingly obvious! well, let's cut the influx of foreign workforce that is coming to help build this region, and start changing the mentality of your people...

but i guess you need to change the latter before the former can take place, and it will probably take a few generations (not less than 1 for sure) to take effect. gee, can you wait a hundred years for that to happen?
cut the influx of foriengers
Posted by mohammad UAE, DUBAI, DUBAI on Sunday 16 November 2008 at 10:00 UAE time

As an Arabic citizen, the solution is clear:

Cut the mammouth influx of south Asian labourers/workforce especially in the skilled force area. Keep only those who are highly educated and really scarce.

Change the mentality of our own people (citizen) to undertake jobs that were perceived to be "low class" as there is no inferior job.

Click here to post a comment


Add your Comment
All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *
(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments


Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.


MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM

SHARE PRICE CHECK

 EMAIL ALERTS

  1. Arab Labour Organisation (ALO)

  2. Politics & Economics



READER COMMENTS

Reader Comments (24 hrs)

  1. UAE raises minimum salary limit for expats with family 16
    04 Jul ' 09 at 23:56
    Based on the activity of the company, salary structure must be fixed before issuing the visa/labour permit. Immigiration office must...  More »
  2. Canada seeks to save man from Saudi death sentence 5
    05 Jul ' 09 at 00:42
    It is getting irritating how every time someone likes to take a stab at Islam they twist things right and left to get there, even if...  More »
  3. Bankruptcy law shake-up call after Dubai boss flees 2
    04 Jul ' 09 at 19:32
    @GilbertBy what you say in when you compare your style of business operations with that of Simons, it seems you are convinced that...  More »
Read all user comments >

BUSINESS FEATURES

Kuwait’s democracy troubles Gulf Arab rulers

Kuwait's partial democracy rings alarm bells for Kuwait's rulers.

Arab states gloat at Iran strife, but wary of its spread

US-allied Arab states enjoying the violent protest over president Ahmadinejad's re-election, fear its fallout.

Gunmen stalk diamond diggers in Congo

Diggers in Congo's biggest diamond mine fear encountering the gunmen known as ‘suicidaires'.

BUSINESS INTERVIEWS

Wild Wadah

Being Al Jazeera is no easier today than it was when it launched, the network's director general Wadah Khanfar tells Arabian Business.

The optimist

Veteran diplomat and Nobel Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari makes the case for peace in the Middle East.

'The worst is yet to come'

Former World Bank chief James Wolfensohn warns that the global economy is facing a long road to recovery.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM