Al-Shall highlights concerns about gender distribution in labor market
According to the weekly report from the Al-Shall Economic Center, the Central Administration of Statistics released a report on registered unemployed Kuwaitis, revealing that as of November last year, 8,727 individuals, constituting approximately 1.8% of the Kuwaiti labor force, were unemployed.
The report highlighted the concerns regarding gender distribution, with males representing 48% of the unemployed and females at 52%. Despite an equal split in public sector employment (51.4% women and 48.6% men), concerns about unemployment persist, reports Al-Jarida daily.
The report also details fluctuations in unemployment based on time frames. For those unemployed for one month, the number is 297, while it rises to 4,670 for those unemployed between one and five months.
The number then decreases to 1,602 for those unemployed between six and eleven months, only to rise again to 2,158 for those unemployed for twelve months or more. The report does not offer an explanation for these variations.
The Center underscores the challenge of differentiating between popular and populist decisions, emphasizing the serious implications of the current unemployment characteristics. In the short term, many unemployed individuals seem to be waiting for opportunities in the public sector, leading to a potential inflation of disguised unemployment figures. This trend is driven by the attractiveness of public sector jobs with their favorable working hours, high wages, and additional benefits.
The age composition of the unemployed is particularly concerning, with about 69.7% of the unemployed falling between the ages of 20 and 29, and an additional 15.1% between the ages of 30 and 39. This means that approximately 84.8% of the unemployed are young people, signaling potential social repercussions.
Another alarming trend highlighted by the report is that 60.5% of the unemployed hold diplomas to doctorate degrees. This raises concerns about the misalignment between the labor market’s needs and the education system, as well as potential issues related to the authenticity of academic credentials.
In conclusion, the report emphasizes that poor education and an imbalance in the national labor market pose significant challenges to public administration. The responsibility lies in differentiating between decisions that benefit the entire population, popular decisions, and those that cater to specific individuals at the expense of broader societal well-being, populist decisions.
