CAIRO: The Arab Labor Organization (ALO) said the level of unemployment in the Arab world is growing at fast pace, especially among the youth. Unemployment in the region is currently estimated at 20 million. “Our unemployment rate is far higher than that of the world,” concluded a document on the issue. It will be submitted to the Arab Labor Conference that will open in Cairo today. The document said the problem is significantly worse in countries that are passing through the Arab Spring. The study also expected the situation to take a turn for the worse in the coming years as the Arab population is set to grow to 460 million in 2025 and reach 600 million by 2050. The political differences and the time lag in the transition process from dictatorship to parliamentary system and the subsequent instability is some countries are also identified as factors that would contribute to the glum employment situation. The ALO hoped that countries, especially those who successfully tackle their political crises, would be in a position to deal with the unemployment. The document contained recommendations to improve the employment situation in the Arab world. These included an appeal to governments in the region to focus on financing credit facilities so youths could open small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and also to invest in human resources development. The document also appealed to the governments in wealthy Arab countries to replace the non-Arab expatriate workforce with Arab workers wherever possible. The conference will focus on finding solutions to the unemployment issue with special emphasis on the countries that took part in the Arab spring. It will also discuss Saudi tools to end unemployment, such as the Hafiz program. The recently implemented Saudi program offers a monthly allowance to the unemployed, aimed at retraining the youth to suit the needs of the job market. “The eight–day conference will also discuss the report of the ALO director general on the significance of social protection as a means to ensure social justice,” ALO Director General Ahmad Luqman said in a statement.
