Tackling joblessness
Riz examines why the employment outlook for many young Arabs is so bleak.
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| Mayyada Abu Jaber |
The young men and women of the Arab world desperately need jobs, so much so that one economist described the situation as “an Al-Qaeda recruiter’s dream”.
Job hunting is stressful enough in the West, but combined with the economic and political situation in many Middle Eastern countries, the outlook for young Arabs is often bleak.
Research by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has found that unemployment is a global problem, but it is worst in the Middle East and the Muslim-majority countries of Africa and Asia, where almost half of those under the age of 24 are unemployed.
The bleak picture is causing instability, fuelling social tensions, and pushing the young men and women of the Muslim world to leave their countries in search of a better future.
On Wednesday, Riz speaks with Ron Bruder, a successful American businessman who took a deep look at the problems of the Middle East after the attacks of 9/11.
A year later he founded Education for Employment which now operates in several Arab countries.
Also joining Riz is Mayyada Abu Jaber, who heads EFE’s operations in Jordan and has also served as an educational consultant in the office of Queen Rania of Jordan.
You can watch Riz at 1900gmt, with repeats at 0000GMT, 0500GMT, and 0930GMT.
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