Unemployment covers 25 million persons in the Arab states
Regional, Economics, 2/12/2005

The director general of the Arab Labor Organization ALO, Ibrahim Qweider, disclosed that there are 25 million unemployed in the Arab states.

In a press conference he held before the inauguration of the 22nd session for the organization which Algeria hosts today, Qweider said that the Arab labor market is not encouraging concerning work conditions and the increased number of unemployed.

He expected the increase in the number of unemployed to reach 100 million persons in 2020 if the Arab states will not take into account the recommendations of the Arab Labor Organization and international institutions in the field of labor and improving work conditions.

Qweider indicated that unemployment rates reach 20% in the Arab states and 48% of it target women as women have not been recruited in the labor market on equal footing with men in the Arab states, due to historical and social considerations, despite the great progress attained by several Arab states in this regard.

He stressed that the existence of child labor phenomenon in the Arab states is linked to poverty and the deterioration in living conditions but it is not the same size as non Arab Asian areas.

He explained that the Arab Labor Organization concentrates in fighting this phenomenon on "the worst forms of child labor," the work which affects the structure of the child's body and on psychological and morale aspects.

He considered that trade unions freedoms in the Arab world is still in its beginnings and workers trade unions which are active, according to international standards and enjoy full freedoms are limited to certain Arab states which have traditions in this area, noting serious attempts to found a genuine workers trade union in the Arab Gulf states. A matter which forms an important development.

He said that the organization discussed the problem of recruiting foreign workers in the Arab Gulf states and the drastic increase of unemployment rate in the Arab states.

The conference of the said Arab organization deals with the issue of modernization labor administration, at Algeria's initiative, so as to make it more effective and transparent and in compliance with world standards.

Algerian minister of labor al-Tayeb Louh said that irregular work gives the true picture of the labor market as it increased unemployment figures, the same as in his country where actual unemployment rate decreased in recent years to less than 17% while reports give say unemployment rate reaches 28 % when including irregular labor when considered as unemployed.

Both the Algerian minister and the Arab Labor Organization indicated that the problem of the labor force in the Arab states accounts for 18 million while there are 25 million Arab unemployed.

The organization recommended that understanding should be made to giving priority in recruiting for the Gulf national labor force and then for the Arab labor force to deal with the issue of unemployment and avoiding the recruitment of foreign workers intensively in the Arab Gulf states. He explained that the Arab ministers of labors, including the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council GCC foreign ministers are involved in this issue and they are in the process of taking practical steps in encouraging the recruitment of Arab laborers.

Previous Stories:
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  ALO chief and Damascus Arab labor conference   (2/14/2004)
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  The Arab states need serious effort to cut unemployment   (11/1/2003)
  Unemployment rate tolls 20% in the Arab states   (9/8/2003)
  The Arab Labor ministers conference   (2/26/2002)
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  Unemployment conditions in the Arab world   (11/7/2001)
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