Arab world unemployment estimated at 20 million: ALO

DUBAI: The level of unemployment in the Arab world stands at an estimated 20 million and is growing at fast pace, especially among the youth in countries witnessing the ' Arab Spring', a labour organisation has said.

According to an Arab Labour Organisation (ALO) document, which is to be presented in the ongoing Arab Labour Conference in Cairo, unemployment in the region is currently estimated at 20 million, a rate which is far higher than that of the world.

The 39th session of the Arab Labour Conference, which begun yesterday, will focus on finding solutions to the unemployment issue with special emphasis on the countries that witnessed the Arab spring.

The study also expected the situation to take a turn for the worse in the coming years as the Arab population is set to grow to 460 million in 2025 and reach 600 million by 2050.

The ALO hoped that countries, especially those who successfully tackle their political crises, would be in a position to deal with the unemployment. The document contained recommendations to improve the employment situation in the Arab world.

These included an appeal to governments in the region to focus on financing credit facilities so youths could open small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and also to invest in human resources development.

The document also appealed to the governments in wealthy Arab countries to replace the non-Arab expatriate workforce with Arab workers wherever possible.

"The eight-day conference will also discuss the report of the ALO director general on the significance of social protection as a means to ensure social justice," ALO Director General Ahmad Luqman said.