SMBs urged to boost Arab manpower

Dubai, March 16, 2008

A regional management expert has called upon Arab companies, especially small and medium businesses (SMBs), to generate more jobs for the Arab manpower to combat the rapidly increasing unemployment rates in the region.

The Arab League Economic Unity Council figures show that more than 25 million Arab people are unemployed in the Arab states.

The Middle East and North Africa stands out with the highest rate of unemployment worldwide.

With an unemployment rate of 13.2 per cent, the Middle East is ahead of sub-Saharan Africa, the poorest region in the world, which has the second highest rate of unemployment, 9.7 per cent.

'The Middle East faces a critical shortage of experienced and highly-skilled employees where leading local and international companies are experiencing difficulties in filling executive and middle management positions,' Dr Sharab said.

Despite this fact, the unemployment rates are alarmingly increasing. He called upon the SMBs to support economic development and ensure jobs to the ballooning graduate population.

'The small and medium businesses in the Arab World should attract the bulk of the Arab people who are capable of delivering quality work instead of shifting their sights into other regions,' he added.  

According to the Arab league, many educated young Arabs are seeking opportunities outside their countries.

'In doing so, they seek to escape the obligation to accept jobs outside their specialisation, inadequate scientific and technological infrastructure and low income opportunities for the highly skilled workers.'

Dr Sharab said, 'a massive number of Arab nationals are graduating every year which requires serious measures from private and public sectors to accommodate all those graduates in the labour market.'-TradeArabia News Service

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