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What Do Young People in the GCC Think? 62% feel the high cost of living is their biggest concern 87% think unemployment is a major problem in their country 45% say that their primary ambition in life is to complete their education 39% think a good salary is the most important criterion in a job 65% want their governments to develop youth service programs in order to create economic opportunities for youth 70% of young women and 44% of young men said that the government should encourage women to work in different fields 59% of young men think women’s primary role in society should be that of a wife and mother 67% want their country to be known as a technologically advanced nation 36% exercise less than once a week Only 28% participate in community development The most popular leisure activities among young people take place at home: |
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Meeting the Challenge
The GCC is at a moment of unprecedented demographic opportunity. Young people make up one-third to one-half of the population of the GCC countries, presenting GCC governments with an opportunity to propel their nations forward: This group can bring creativity, energy, and productivity to the GCC national and regional economies. With their contributions, the GCC region can accelerate its development and continue building knowledge economies.
But regional leaders in government and business must understand the needs and aspirations of this critical generation in order to tap into their ideas and energy. To that end, Booz & Company conducted a survey of 415 young nationals aged 15 to 24 in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, focusing on the areas most relevant to young people today:
- Education
- Employment
- Gender gap
- Leisure activities
- Community engagement
The survey showed that despite solid economic growth, technological improvements, and increased expenditure on education, GCC countries’ socioeconomic systems have not yet evolved sufficiently to meet the basic aspirations of their youth, who are seeking both social recognition and economic empowerment.
GCC stakeholders are aware of both the opportunities and the challenges in these areas and are making good progress in addressing them. But a more universal, all-encompassing effort is needed to ensure that young people are fully engaged in GCC societies, including governments, private sectors, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and civic organizations.
Education
Young people certainly recognize the importance of education and as they move into decision-making positions in Gulf societies, they will bring with them an appreciation of the importance of education, technological competence, and intellectual aptitude, as well as an aspiration for their countries to be known for these traits.
However, when it comes to the quality of their education, the primary beneficiaries of the GCC’s efforts are not happy. The findings of the survey indicate that young people perceive a mismatch between what the education system is providing and what the workplace is requiring. And on top of worrying about finding a job, many GCC youth feel ill-equipped once they do secure employment.
GCC governments have begun to recognize the need for change and reorientation, and the initiatives undertaken so far are laudable. However, there is more that can be done. Curriculum reform is one major priority; in addition to instituting teaching methods that encourage students to take initiative and solve problems, there needs to be more emphasis on science, technology, mathematics, and foreign languages.
Employment
The Middle East currently has among the highest unemployment rates in the world for people between the ages of 15 and 24. Unemployment looms as a huge worry for young people, with 87 percent of our Booz & Company’s survey respondents describing it as a major problem.
The survey confirmed that GCC youth struggle to find suitable employment and are anxious about their prospects. Their chances of finding employment are much lower than adults’ because of their lack of substantial work experience and lack of occupational skills required by potential employers.
GCC youths also suffer from the absence of a tradition of part-time work during school vacations, as well as a lack of internships and mentoring programs offered by the private sector.
In order to reap the full rewards of the GCC’s youth bulge, countries need to partner much more extensively with their private sectors to address youth unemployment. The pervasive attitude that it is the task of government alone to provide work must change.
It is also vital to develop clear, strategic economic plans to reach the twin goals of economic diversification and youth employment simultaneously. That means job creation in sectors where the GCC can gain a competitive edge, including knowledge-based activities such as R&D and finance, with corresponding reform in education to give students the necessary skills in science, technology, mathematics, and foreign languages.
Gender Gap
As a result of women’s increased education in the region, GCC women are exerting a positive influence on their society as they move beyond the traditional confinements of home and family. Educated and ambitious young women are participating more and more in the public arena as businesswomen, university deans, bankers, medical professionals, scientific researchers, and government ministers. However, the Booz & Company survey found that despite the gains that women have made in the region, a mix of local norms and traditions, social beliefs, and principles emanating from the GCC’s patriarchal system still, to some extent, exert an influence over young women’s lives, limiting their opportunities in education, employment, and leisure pursuits.
Recently, all of the GCC countries have launched important initiatives to encourage women’s greater participation in society, but most of them address female unemployment. Booz & Company believes particular attention should be paid to empowering young women by creating opportunities for them to voice their opinions and realize their ambitions.
In our vision of a new paradigm for GCC youth, officials would begin to develop policies that support the needs and aspirations of women as much as they support those of men. They would also work to change national perceptions about the role of women in GCC society, sending the message that the demands of a modern economy require the productive participation of women and that women represent a largely untapped resource for powering up their economies.
Leisure & Community Development
GCC countries need to build workforces that are resourceful, productive and creative, with 21st century business skills and the ability to operate in multicultural settings. These are traits learned through leisure experiences, be they recreational sports or science fairs. Diversified, knowledge-based economies also will require young people to take a broader look at their career options—something else fostered by leisure activities, which expose young people to different areas of interest. Because of the benefits of organized leisure activities, and in particular of the physical exercise involved in sports, we asked survey participants about their leisure time.
In addition to well-known issues such as upgrading education systems and creating jobs, GCC governments have to ensure that young people use their leisure time for extracurricular activities and community development.
Although GCC governments have recently introduced a number of initiatives offering youth greater choice in how to spend their leisure time, there is more work to be done. Booz & Company believes that young people should be taught from an early age about the importance of leisure activities as an important avenue to personal excellence; they should also receive more encouragement from parents, schools and their communities to get involved in all kinds of leisure opportunities in order to become well-rounded people.
Young people are the key human resource on which the future of the GCC’s economic and social development depends. And they must be seen in this light in order for GCC societies to reap the rewards that today’s youth offer.
Article Index
- Executive Summary
- The GCC: A Youthful Region
- What GCC Youth Think
- Exhibit 1 - GCC Youth Are Facing Significant Socioeconomic Challenges
- Exhibit 2 - Young People Want to Play an Active Role in Building Their Society
- A New Paradigm for Youth in the GCC
- Survey Methodology
- Education: Crucial for Youth Development
- Exhibit 3 - GCC Nations Spend a Significant Portion of GDP on Education
- Exhibit 4 - GCC Youth Will Be Almost Universally Literate by 2015
- Exhibit 5 - Education Is a Critical Aspiration for Young People
- Exhibit 6 - Young People Want Their Countries to Be Educated and Technically Advanced
- Exhibit 7 - Young People Do Not Feel That Their Education System Will Help Them Find Jobs
- Dropping Out
- Exhibit 8 - Young People Are Concerned That They Are Not Prepared to Succeed in Their Careers
- Exhibit 9 - Young People Have a Number of Concerns About the Education System
- Employment: Making the Most of the Youth Dividend
- Exhibit 10 - GCC Youth Are Extremely Concerned About Unemployment
- Exhibit 11 - Challenges To Finding a Job Are Structural and Personal
- Exhibit 12 - GCC Youth Seek Wellpaying, Satisfying Jobs
- Exhibit 13 - Young People Seek Creative Solutions to the Employment Problem
- Exhibit 14 - The Majority of Each GCC Country’s Workforce Consists of Foreigners
- Exhibit 15 - The Majority of Survey Respondents Did Not Work During Summer Vacations
- Exhibit 16 - The GCC Has an Extremely High Rate of Youth Inactivity
- Youth and Gender in the GCC: Narrowing the Gap
- Exhibit 17 - Illiteracy Has Decreased Substantially Among Young Women in the GCC
- Exhibit 18 - Women Are Entering the Education System in Large Numbers, Surpassing Men in Some Countries
- Exhibit 19 - In Most GCC Countries, Young Women Are More Likely Than Young Men to Be Unemployed
- Exhibit 20 - Men and Women Have Markedly Different Opinions on the Role of Women
- Exhibit 21 - More Women Than Men Believe Women Should Have Equal Opportunities in Education and Employment
- Exhibit 22 - More Women Than Men Believe That Gender Equality Will Promote Economic Advancement
- Exhibit 23 - More Young Women Than Men Want to Have a Voice in Formulating National Policy on Youth Issues
- Exhibit 24 - More Women Than Men Believe That the Status of Girls and Women Needs to Be Improved
- Exhibit 25 - Young Women Are Less Likely Than Young Men to Be Active in the Labor Force
- Leisure: Expanding Young People’s Horizons
- Exhibit 26 - A Significant Number of Leisure Activities Take Place at Home
- Exhibit 27 - Many Young People Exercise Infrequently or Not at All
- Exhibit 28 - Even Young People Who Exercise Do Not Necessarily Exercise Strenuously
- Exhibit 29 - Lack of Convenience is a Major Factor Inhibiting Exercise
- Exhibit 30 - Young People Would Like More Opportunity for Activity in Their Communities
- GCC Youth: A Technology-Savvy Group
- Exhibit A - GCC Youth Are Very Interested in Technology and Follow It Through High-tech Channels
- Community Development: Youth and Nation Building
- Exhibit 31 - Nearly Three-quarters of Young People Do Not Participate in Community Development
- Exhibit 32 - Much Community Development Work Is Sponsored by Governments
- Conclusion
- The GCC’s Youth Bulge: A Demographic Opportunity
- Exhibit B - Population Growth Rate in GCC Countries (1950–2050)
- Exhibit C - The Population Will Begin Aging After 2050
- Exhibit D - The Percentage of Young People in the Population Will Begin Declining After 2020
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Author Profiles
Dr. Mona AlMunajjed is a senior advisor with Booz & Company’s Ideation Center in Riyadh. She specializes in social issues and has worked with various international agencies on programs and projects related to women and social development in the Arab region.
Dr. Karim Sabbagh is a senior partner with Booz & Company in the Middle East. He leads the firm’s communications, media, and technology global practice and is the chairman of the Ideation Center.
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