Missed by the Boom, Hurt by the Bust: Making Markets Work for Young People in the Middle East

Middle East, Global Financial Crisis, Islamic World, Development, Global Economics

Navtej Dhillon, Director, Middle East Youth Initiative
Djavad Salehi-Isfahani , Nonresident Guest Scholar, Global Economy and Development, Wolfensohn Center for Development, Middle East Youth Initiative
Paul Dyer, Research Associate, Dubai School of Government
Tarik Yousef, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, Wolfensohn Center for Development, Middle East Youth Initiative
Amina Fahmy, Senior Research Assistant, Wolfensohn Center for Development, Middle East Youth Initiative
Mary Kraetsch, Research Analyst, Wolfensohn Center for Development, Middle East Youth Initiative

The Brookings Institution

May 2009 —

In Missed by the Boom, Hurt by the Bust: Making Markets Work for Young People in the Middle East, the Middle East Youth Initiative cautions that a new jobs crisis may damage future prospects for the region's young people. For Middle Eastern economies, the global downturn coincides with a historically high share of 15- to 29-year-olds in the total population. This report shows that, even during the “boom” years of 2002 to 2008, young people in the Middle East did not benefit from high quality education and struggled to find decent jobs. Now, with labor markets already under pressure to generate employment for record numbers of graduates, the region faces a new set of challenges due to the global downturn and its affects on oil prices, exports, remittances, and foreign investment. For Middle Eastern economies to emerge stronger, policies forged during the downturn must be consistent with long-term goals of cultivating a skilled workforce, expanding the role of the private sector, and reducing the appeal of government employment.

Download the full report »

Download the fact sheet »