The Future of Jobs and Skills in the Middle East and North Africa
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Experts from many international, regional and national agencies generously share their views, experiences and findings on skills, helping policy-makers among other stakeholders to understand the linkages between education, training and the world of work, and how to integrate skills into national development planning to promote employment and economic growth.
Anticipating and matching skills needs
Anticipating and building skills for the future is essential to a rapidly changing labour market. This applies to changes in the types and levels of skills needed as well as in occupational and technical areas. Effective methods to anticipate future skills needs and avoid potential mismatches include: sustained dialogue between employers and trainers, coordination across government institutions, labour market information systems, employment services and performance reviews of training institutions.
Youth employability
Globally, nearly 68 million young women and men are looking for and available for work, and an estimated 123 million young people are working but living in poverty. The number who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) stands at 267 million, a majority of whom are young women. Significantly, young people are three times as likely as adults (25 years and older) to be unemployed.
Skills development is a primary means of enabling young people to make a smooth transition to work. A comprehensive approach is required to integrate young women and men in the labour market, including relevant and quality skills training, labour market information, career guidance and employment services, recognition of prior learning, incorporating entrepreneurship with training and effective skills forecasting. Improved basic education and core work skills are particularly important to enable youth to engage in lifelong learning as well as transition to the labour market.
Research papers
Working papers, reports, and other publications from international organizations, academic institutions and bilateral agencies. Research findings to stimulate informed debate on skills, employment and productivity issues.
This Executive Briefing uses the latest available data, including through a research partnership with LinkedIn, to provide a concise overview of the region’s education, skills and jobs agenda. It is intended as a practical guide for leaders from business, government, civil society and the education sector to plan for the needs of the future. It is also a call to action to the region’s leaders to address urgently the reforms that are needed today to ensure that the Middle East and North Africa’s young people can harness the new opportunities that are coming their way.
In addition to providing insights on current trends and future projections, the World Economic Forum also aims to provide a platform for multistakeholder collaboration to prepare for the future of work by closing skills gaps and gender gaps through two key initiatives in the region. The New Vision for Arab Employment consolidates the latest insights, brings together business efforts to impart employability skills and supports constructive public-private dialogue for reform of education systems and labour policies. To date, companies engaged in the initiative have supported skills development for 250,000 people. In addition the Gender Parity Task Forces help provide a method for national stakeholders to close economic gender gaps, with the first task force in the region to be launched this year. We invite more stakeholders to join these efforts, enhancing collaboration and coordination to accelerate impact.
Public private partnerships
Skills anticipation
Skills mismatch
Soft skills
Technology
Youth
Africa
Arab States
