Arab unemployment rate reaches 11.5%
Regional, Economics, 2/16/1998

A report by the Arab Labor Organization confirmed the inadequacy of the economic performance in the Arab states and the poor utilization of human and material capacities.

The total income of the Arab states has remained almost unchanged for the past 18 years, at which time the population growth rate reached 2.8% annually, resulting in an average of 40% reduction of individual incomes.

The report added that the number of Arab citizens whose incomes are below the poverty level varies between 65 and 73 million; 10 million citizens do not have enough food and the number of illiterate Arab citizens reached 60 million.

The report called for more effective solutions to the unemployment problem, with an unemployment rate of 11.5% representing an estimated 86 million citizens.

Finally the Arab Labor Organization called for the formation of a high level Arab committee for increasing commercial exchange, overcoming the export obstacles between Arab countries, encouraging competitive exports, and enhancing the private sector's role in Arab economies.

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