Unemployment rampant among young people

Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com

Unemployment rampant among young people

Posted in: Reports
Written By: Nora al-Absi
Article Date: Aug 18, 2007 - 1:43:58 AM

Swarms of unemployed men gather on busy street corners waiting for labor oportunities.

The search for work is becoming one of the biggest problems facing Yemeni young people even though many of them are educated and possess plenty of qualifications. Many young people say that they do not have access to employment opportunities because they don’t have enough money to pay for the precise training they think they need to enter the job market. Others may have training, but lack work experience. Still others say that the jobs that are available to them do not pay enough.

“To get a job is my dream in life,” said Mamdouh Abdul-Rashid, a 20-year-old student. “I came from the countryside to the city in search of work and to go to university. But I think that employment has become limited to those who are experienced and have qualifications.” President Ali Abdullah Saleh has created a $2 billion initiative to generate electric power and create opportunities for unemployed people. “I had heard the news on television, but I think it is not beneficial if the youth is not qualified.

I consider it the first step to eliminate unemployment among Yemeni youth,” Abdul-Rashid said. “Employment opportunities are not available to all young people,” said Fawwaz al-Nashiri, an officer in the private sector. “The employment opportunities for young people and the life situations that offer those opportunities do not allow youth access to opportunities for rehabilitation, so they remain as they are, and this interrupts development in Yemeni society.” “The labor market has become limited to a pattern of specializations.

I hope the sum offered by the President will be used to help young people obtain suitable work,” al-Nashiri said. Ahmed Al-Absi has three children and his wife works as a teacher, but he is trying to get a job suited to his abilities and family expenses. He works as clock engineer, but his salary is not enough, even combined with the salary of his wife. “I do not think that young people are able to shoulder the great responsibility,” he said. “I receive a simple salary because I have not completed university.

The nation’s widespread unemployment rate is letting the energy and creativity of Yemen’s young people go to waste.

I do not have a certificate or experience with computers, so I cannot seek employment adequate for my family’s needs, which are growing every day,” al-Absi said. Al-Absi added that the work actually available to today’s youth only offers a salary of about YR500 per day, and this is not enough for the young man. “My colleagues and I are looking for jobs, but we cannot find any jobs because employers want work experience,” said Samar al-Masni, a 25-year-old graduate. “I am a graduate in computer science and have been trying to find a job for three years, but I found only work as a nurse.

The salary that I received does not meet the demands of me or my family. When we refer to the employment offices, they demand English language and experience in different areas of work,” al-Masani said. Mohammad Abdul-Aziz, a 25-year-old from the Bani Hashish area in Sana’a, said that he considers the grant from the president to be an encouraging step for youth. “I hope that it will include young people from all classes and that it will focus on agricultural projects and various handicraft projects.”

Ahmed Ali, 35-year-old who is employed, said that he was very happy when he heard of the existence of such an initiative. “I hope it will help all educated and uneducated youth because I am not educated, and I did not complete my secondary learning,” Ali said. “I have lived my life and struggled to get a job, so I hope to get my children a suitable job,” said Mohammed Ali, a 50-year-old worker. “I think that this grant is an opportunity for young people to have access to jobs, and it will support the state’s economy greatly because young people are the basis of state.”

Saleh Ahmed, a 40-year-old officer, said that he has faced many hurdles to get jobs, and finally he got a job in a company as an accountant. “I hope there to be great opportunities for the new generation, and I wish to exploit this grant in the correct way because some officials do not take the responsibility seriously,” Ahmed said. Some youth turn to the programs offered by the civil society organizations to improve young people’s skills in various aspects, such as computer and English.

“I graduated from university, and I did not find work because the job market does not need specialization, which I have, so I was directed to civil society organizations and have been rehabilitated and now have different qualifications,” said Sua’ad Mohammed, a graduating student. “I am working now in a civil organization and I get a good salary. I hope the youth do not lose hope for the lack of jobs.”

Um Hani al-Ansi, a 26-year-old housewife, said that she thinks there are many youths who are discouraged because there are no job opportunities for them. “Youths must not wait for the work to come to them, but they must look for it and create it themselves. They must learn every thing they can to be good members of society, and they will help raise the country’s economy.”