A small majority of unemployed Qataris are unwilling to work in the private sector, according to the results of a government survey.
Research published by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics found that of 764 jobless Qataris surveyed, 389 said they had no interest in working outside the public sector.
In particular, Qatari women were most reluctant to work in the private sector, with 293 saying they had no interest, while 221 said they were willing. For men, 154 said they had a desire to get a job working outside the government, while 96 did not.
The First Quarter Labour Force Survey showed that low wages, a lack of retirement benefits, fewer days off and long working hours were the main reasons why some unemployed Qatari nationals preferred not to work in the private sector.
The report also found that 31 percent of all Qatari men over the age of 15 were unemployed, although that figure includes students and retirees. The same figure for Qatar’s female population is 64 percent.
Earlier this year, a report from the same ministry found that the number of Qatari women employed by the private sector has increased by more than six times in 12 years. Its research suggested that women accounted for 14.7 percent of the private sector workforce in 2013, compared to 2.1 percent in 2001.
The number of Qatari women in both private and public sector employment nearly trebled over the same period, from 10,851 to 30,256.
However, the proportion of women in public sector employment alone decreased between 2001 and 2013, from 89.1 percent in 2001 to 68.2 percent in 2013.
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