Libya bucks trend for female unemployment

Libya is the only Arab country where more men are unemployed than women, according to a new report by the Arab League.

The report says that female unemployment in the country is running at 18 percent, against 21 percent among men.

The figures are in stark contrast to other Arab League nations, where female unemployment continues to soar. Although Gulf nations have the lowest overall unemployment figures, women continue to struggle to find work. Around 15 percent of Saudi women are unemployed, against just four percent of men.

The figures - based on research compiled during 2010 - also show that the UAE has 10.8 percent of females out of work, compared to 2.4 percent of men. Qatar has the lowest unemployment figures in the region, with just 1.9 percent of unemployed females against 0.1 percent of men, while 3.1 percent of females remain unemployed in Kuwait, against 0.8 percent of men.

Female unemployment in the Arab world is at its highest level in Mauritania, standing at around 44 percent at the end of 2010. Unemployment among men was put at around 23.9 percent.

In Yemen 40.9 per cent of women are out of work against 11.5 percent of men, while in Palestine 32.6 percent in Palestine of women are unemployed against 25.4 percent of men. In Jordan the report says 24.1 percent of women remain unemployed compared to 10.3 percent of men.

In a recent study, the Abu Dhabi-based Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), an affiliate of the Arab League, said regional countries need to create at least 40m jobs by 2020 to tackle unemployment.