Gulf Cooperation Council – Bridging the skills gap: a priority

In spite of high economic growth and investment in education, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries find it hard to fill jobs with suitably qualified nationals while thousands of young men and women remain unemployed or underemployed and their potential barely used. The latest youth unemployment rates in GCC region (2011) show a high of 23.3 percent – almost double the global youth unemployment rate for the same year. It is estimated that the region needs an estimated 1.5 million new jobs to be created by 2015.

High unemployment rates among young men and women are largely due to a skills gap and a mismatch between supply and demand. Today, in a rapidly changing workplace characterized by increased globalization, business competitiveness and the turmoil of the Arab Spring, most young graduates in the GCC countries face insecurity when shifting from education to employment…

via Bridging the skills gap… a priority to boost job market | ArabNews.