12.5 million unemployed in the Arab states

The Arab labor conference attended by the Arab labor ministers and heads of the labor unions as well as the Arab businessmen is discussing Arab laborers and the seriousness of unemployment in the Arab states.

The report prepared by Ibrahim Qowaider, general manager of the Arab labor organization, stated that the average the unemployment in the Arab states is estimated at nearly 14% of the total workforce, which reaches 89 million-- i.e. the unemployed reach 12.5 million.

The report also stated that average unemployment among youths exceeded 60% in Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Palestine and 40% in Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

The report related the increase in unemployment to the retreat of growth and weakness in the economic performance in addition to the economic reforms taken by the Arab states to follow the market economies' methods, which led to increasing unemployment.