Educated and out of work

Arab economies are experiencing a historic boom, but whether or not prosperity continues will depend on their ability to generate jobs for millions of young people seeking employment. In countries throughout the region, labor forces are growing at up to 4% annually, and Arab economies will have to create a total of around 60 million jobs over the next decade to bring the rate of unemployment down to the global norm. Due to the boom, in the last five years unemployment in the Arab world fell to around 11%, but the rate of joblessness for people aged 15-24 is more than 25% — roughly twice the world average. One complication is that in some countries, mainly the smaller Gulf sheikhdoms, most new jobs have gone to foreigners. However, this phenomenon is not limited to the rich oil- producers: in Jordan, for example, many new jobs go to non- nationals, especially