Youth Unemployment in the Arab Nations

Youth Unemployment in the Arab Nations
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Youth Unemployment in the Arab Nations
Introduction
One of the significant problems in the Arab World is the high prevalence of unemployment among the youth. According to Mckee et al. (2017), youth unemployment was one of the major causes of the popular uprisings witnessed in several the Middle East and North African (MENA) countries in the early 2010s. Over the last two decades, the high number of increased unemployment rates in most Arab countries among youth people, especially college and university graduates, has been a factor that has resulted in frustrations. These frustrations were some of the factors that resulted in unemployed youth demonstrating in streets at the beginning of the 2010s decade leading to massive rebellions against several incumbent leadership regimes in countries such as Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen, among others (Mckee et al., 2017). In this regard, although youth unemployment was not the only cause of Arab uprisings, the exceptionally high rates of unemployed young men and women played a significant role in their establishment and spread in several Arab countries.
Features of Youth Unemployment in the Arab Nations
The issue of youth unemployment in MENA countries has become highly critical due to its ever-increasing trends and magnitude. This is because it is an issue that has had adverse impacts on economic and social development as well as likely negative political destabilizing effects. It is without a doubt that youth unemployment was a driver for the Arab Uprisings, whose economic and political consequences are still felt today. The major characteristics of youth unemployment in the Arab World include: The rate of youth unemployment in Arab countries is the World's highest compared to other regions worldwide. Notably, the rate of unemployment in the region among persons aged between 15 and 24 is estimated to be about 30% compared to a world's average of 12% (Benner, 2020). In addition, the problem of youth unemployment in Arab nations is enormous since they comprise about 20% of the total population. In 2010, the number of youth people in the region was estimated to be 46 million, and it was projected that it would have grown to 58 million by 2025 (International Labour Office, 2015). Another feature is that youth unemployment is also rampant among educated young people. Although education is termed as an approach to enhance human capital in MENA countries, most young graduates also find it challenging to find jobs. For example, by 2016, the number of unemployed colleges and university graduates in Egypt was estimated to be 33% (Benner, 2020). The continued decrease in demand for foreign labor in Gulf countries has resulted in less demand for labor by youth from poor Arab nations. Another feature of the problem is that most educated young people in Arab countries do not find jobs that suit their levels of education. Although youth unemployment is also an issue in several European nations such as Spain and Italy, the trends being witnessed in most Arab countries are worrying and need to be addressed before they reach dangerous heights.
Current Trends and Causes of Youth Unemployment in the Arab Nat...