Arab world facing unemployment crisis

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.

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.

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READERS' COMMENTS

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.

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