Young Arabs keen to work in government sector

Delegates listen panel discussions on the second day of Global Islamic Economic Forum in Dubai

More than two-thirds of young Arabs are keen to work in the government sector on higher salaries, better healthcare, and other benefits compared to the private sector.
This was revealed in the survey findings of the eighth annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey. The survey was unveiled by Sunil John, the CEO of ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller, at a presentation on the third Global Islamic Economy Summit in Dubai on Wednesday.
Around half of the young people surveyed across the Arab world said they would prefer a government job to working in the private sector work. However, this preference rose to 70 per cent across the Gulf States.
When asked what would entice them to work in the private sector, more than half of all young Arabs surveyed cited higher wages at 51 per cent, followed by better healthcare and other benefits at 35 per cent, more paid holidays at 29 per cent, and shorter working hours at 27 percent.
Traditionally, governments employ the majority of the national workforce in Gulf states, only 15 per cent of young people said they would prefer to work in the private sector, while another 14 per cent had no preference, and one per cent didn't know.
"Persuading young people to take on roles in the private sector is essential to creating a strong, sustainable economy," said Sunil John.
The findings show that despite ongoing efforts to make the private sector more appealing to young Gulf Arabs, the message isn't getting through as fast as governments - or the private sector - would like, according to John.
"New initiatives and policies, such as Saudi's Vision 2030, the removal of subsidies on fuel and the introduction of VAT across the Gulf, show that governments are serious about new economic realities," he added. "However, it seems balancing expectations about public sector work with the realities of private sector employment for those young nationals entering the workforce will require more effort."
Elsewhere in the Arab World, views towards public sector employment differ markedly. In the Levant, young people are almost evenly split between preference for the public and private sectors - 28 per cent and 30 per cent receptively - while 37 per cent had no preference, and four per cent didn't know. In North Africa, 47 per cent of young nationals would opt for the public sector, 26 per cent for private, 20 per cent had no preference, and eight per cent didn't know.
Another Survey finding unveiled at his presentation, John revealed that the majority of young Arabs - 58 per cent - want to further their education, be it university, vocational training or post-graduate degree. In North Africa, 73 per cent intend to further their education, against 61 per cent in the GCC, and just 41 per cent in the Levant.
Of those who aren't seeking further education, 40 per cent of young people in the Levant say they are put off by the high cost of further education; in North Africa 19 per cent are concerned by teaching standards; while 62 per cent of young Gulf Arabs are keen to get on with their careers.
For this year's survey, international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews with exclusively Arab national men and women aged 18-24 in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Yemen. The interviews were conducted from January 11 to February 22, 2016.
- abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com