FIGURE I-11 Employment-to-population ratio A. For males (15 years and above)
B. For females (15 years and above)
C. For youth (15-24 years)
Arab region
Arab region
Arab region 16
27 23 LDCs
LDCs 28
LDCs 21
31
GCC 17
28
21
25
Maghreb 15
30
65 66
18
Mashreq
Mashreq
Mashreq 15 15
24 21 10
79 79
22
Maghreb
Maghreb
20
1991ILO, 2011a.2011 Source:
30
40
0
10 1991
2011
Little progress was made in reducing unemployment, and the lack of decent jobs, especially for women, is still a challenge More recently, global financial and economic crises and political instability in some Arab countries have aggravated the poor conditions of the labour market across the region
71 71
25
GCC
GCC
0
69 69
19
Between 1990 and 2010, the unemployment rate declined from 12.4 per cent to 10.0 per cent (figure I-12). Unemployment decreased mainly in the Maghreb subregion, from 17.5 per cent in 1990 to 10.4 per cent in 2010. However, the reduction derived more from an increase in marginal employment than in decent work opportunities. Algeria, in particular, significantly reduced unemployment from 2000 to 2008, but that decline was largely concomitant with an increase in informal employment.18 More recently, global financial and economic crises and political instability in some Arab countries have aggravated the poor conditions of the labour market across the region. Provisional figures show a considerable increase in unemployment rates from 10.0 per cent in 2010 to 14.5 per cent in 2012 (figure I-12).19 LDCs witnessed the highest increase, from 8.4 per cent to 18.4 per cent, followed by Mashreq countries, where the average rate rose from 11.3 per cent to 16.3 per cent. Maghreb countries have maintained a relatively stable rate of 10 per cent.
10 | THE ARAB MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS REPORT
67 66 20
30
0
20 1991
40
60
80
2011
Unemployment is projected to further increase in 2013, reaching 14.8 per cent in the Arab region. High female and youth unemployment rates drive joblessness in the region, despite progress in education. Youth unemployment had hovered at about 25 per cent since 2007 and increased to 26 per cent in 2011, while the world average was of 13 per cent.20 There are signs that this increasing trend will continue in the medium term. Female unemployment is also exceptionally high in the Arab region, standing at around 19 per cent, while the world average was 6.2 per cent in 2011.21 Unemployment in the Arab region affects all income groups more or less equally.22 This contrasts with experiences elsewhere in the world, where unemployment is almost always worse in lower income brackets. The share of the working poor is low, but gains made in some countries are seriously threatened The proportion of employed people considered as working poor23 is relatively low in the Arab region, compared with other developing regions (figure I-13). In the Middle East,24 the share has stagnated at 8 per cent in the last decade. Only a small increase is expected to have occurred