29.11.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Unemployment caused by insecurity and vice-versa ("original document") [ID 10928]

"It's catch-22 in Iraq - a huge increase in danger means less employment; more unemployment could mean more potential recruits for insurgents as people become increasingly tired of the situation. It's one of the country's most serious problems, government sources say. Officially, unemployment stands at more than 60 percent, according to unverified statistics from the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MLSA). Iraqi officials and US-led forces alike feel if more people were working, the country would become more stable, living standards would rise and all Iraqis would have more opportunities. (...)

Unemployment has increased for a number of reasons since the US-led war in Iraq last spring, al-Aubaydi said. Some Iraqis who have returned home from other countries don't have jobs yet, for example. And life is so dangerous in Iraq that many businesses and public offices don't work regular schedules and haven't taken on any new workers in months.

When US-led forces came into Iraq, people were optimistic there would be change, including more employment. New politicians have promised to raise living standards and give equal opportunities to all Iraqis. The only jobs at the moment are in government ministries, in the country's state-run oil industry, the new Iraqi army or are security-related.

In addition, those who used to do good jobs were connected to the former regime. They were left without work when the former regime was ousted last spring. Others took over the jobs, but not in the same numbers - Saddam Hussein's government was notoriously bloated, corrupt, inefficient and over-manned. "We were released from our jobs after the fall of Baghdad and I've been out of work until now. I have a big family and I have to feed them, therefore I will have to start using my savings," Omer Saad, a former media ministry worker, told IRIN in Baghdad. A lecturer at al-Nahrrain University who lost her job in 2001 because she was not part of the regime, complained she has not been given a new job since US-led forces came in. (...)

Newly graduated students now complain that the job market is virtually non-existent. And poor security in Iraq is having a direct impact on employment opportunities. Most foreign companies have packed up and left the country, following a rash of more than 170 kidnappings of foreign staff in recent months. A Kuwaiti electrical company closed its offices after being threatened by kidnappers, Hassin Ahmed, an employee at the company, told IRIN. The company had employed 2,000 workers in Baghdad and Basra, all of whom lost their jobs.

To ease the situation, the MLSA is establishing job centres. They are intended to send skilled and qualified staff to ministries that need them. In addition, the centres promise vacancies for former members of the Iraqi army, disabled people and women. The centres are now starting to get information about private institution vacancies as well. More than 150,000 job opportunities have gone through the centres, al-Aubaydi said. More than 549,000 people registered themselves as looking for work between September 2003 and October 2004, he said. Of that number, the ministry was able to find jobs for more than 186,000 people.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to spend more than US $1 billion to train workers for jobs, according to media reports. They expect close to 46,000 more people will be employed once training is finished. But with Iraq's population standing at more than 22 million, those numbers may still just be a drop in the ocean. Desperate workers often protest on the streets across the country calling for more jobs. Some Iraqi aid agencies are also trying to help by offering training and new skills. The Iraqi Centre for Women's Rehabilitation and Employment helps women learn to make crafts, for example. (...) Local aid agencies are trying to find more way to cooperate with the labour ministry to create more jobs, Mubark said. "Fifty of our trainees visited the job centre and were able to find work," Mubark said. "We hope to raise this number to 100.""

Document(s): original document

29.11.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Northern Iraq: Job Market Flourishes in Kurdish North ("original document") [ID 10929]

"(...) The stable security situation has led a number of foreign companies to set up in the region (Sulaimaniyah), offering job seekers an alternative to the public sector or unskilled manual labour for the first time in years. While government jobs may have traditionally been people’s first choice because of the cachet they carry here, a significant number of graduates are now tempted by the higher wages offered in the private sector. The combination of strong private and public sectors has led to a manpower shortage in an area which used to suffer from high unemployment."

Document(s): original document

04.10.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Iraq: Unemployment with an estimated 50 percent ("original document") [ID 10930]

Interview with Minister for Labour and Social Affairs about the economic and social problems, the lack of money to assist old men and women who can’t work because of their age; widows or divorced women who have children; orphans; families who have pensions; and the blind.

"At the Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Minister Leyla Abdul Latif says one of the biggest problems her department faces today is unemployment, with an estimated 50 percent of the population out of work.

In addition, the ministry oversees a wide variety of social programmes, including running orphanages and elderly homes around the country, as well as dealing with controversial resettlement issues.

In an interview with IRIN, Latif said while there were a number of wide ranging issues to be dealt with at hand, she hoped there would be some progress on social issues soon in the troubled country.

QUESTION: What are the biggest social problems in Iraq today?

ANSWER: Iraq’s biggest issue now is its incapability to help jobless people find chances to work, especially those who have registered in our centres. We also have many social problems, especially with people who are coming back to Iraq after living and working in other countries. Finally, we have to convince people who took over government buildings for houses that they have to leave. We have a big increase in the number of beggars and the number of children who don’t go to school. A large number of people live under the poverty line. We are very worried about the psychological stability of people.

Q: Do you have solutions to these problems?

A: One of the most practical remedies is that the government should be able to help people more, especially to find jobs. Private companies should be contacted since the government doesn’t offer as many jobs since the fall of the regime. This would absorb some of the jobless problem. In addition, we need the security situation to improve. Iraq is a rich country and its population is not too large to take care of itself. We can manage by ourselves.

Q: How does Iraq handle unemployment?

A: We currently have a project for vocational training. We will build 10 new centres for work in all of the governorates that don’t currently have such centres. In addition, we will build vocational training centres in places such as Hillah, Diwaniya, Samawah, Salahadin, Anbar, Diyala, Karbala and Sulaymaniah. The work centres are places where people can register to look for a job. The vocational centres are places where people can learn a new trade, such as wood working.

Q: As you deal with orphanages, what is the situation of these children?

A: It’s a complex issue to explain - not only are children starving in Iraq, but many people in the lower social classes are also going hungry because of the circumstances. Even though Iraq has many resources, such as oil, those resources have become a curse rather than a prosperous blessing. For example, many children have to work hard now, because their parents cannot provide for them. The children provide all of the money for the family, so they don’t have time to go to school.

Q: What is your budget for social programmes?

A: Our programme is to give a salary to poor families according to the Law of Social Treatment No. 126, which was approved by the government in 1980. This law covers the following: old men and women who can’t work because of their age; widows or divorced women who have children; orphans; families who have pensions; and the blind. However, we do not have a determined budget yet. The ministry is responsible for arranging and carrying out all of the fields mentioned and checking lists of these people every few months to make sure they are correct.

Q: How is the money distributed to the people on the lists?

A: Once we verify the names on the lists, they are submitted to the Ministry of Finance for approval. We have more than 100,000 families who receive about 30,000 Iraqi dinars, (about US $200) per month.

Q: Now that Iraq is moving in a new direction, do you have new goals?

A: We had wars for two decades in the 20th century. This means that a large number of Iraq people are widows; the number of divorces increased and the number of orphans increased. Wars also mean that there is an increased number of handicapped people who can’t do any work. There is a weakness in the social system because of the political instability. This leads to increased bad behaviour. In addition, more people get divorced. More [single] women got married because they had social or financial problems. We should also address the increasing number of street children - it seems more are begging now.

Q: With which aid agencies do you currently work with?

A: We get aid from the International Labour Organization (ILO) to train our employees who are responsible for vocational training through courses inside and outside the country. We receive aid from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to train our employees on management. They have also supplied the ministry with furniture and computers. The United Nations Childrens' Fund (UNICEF) pays for some of our local NGO groups for training people to develop their organisational capabilities. Other international organisations did some rehabilitation and maintenance of the institution for the deaf and dumb in Baghdad, supplied some furniture and also gave them a car.

Q: What are your future plans?

A: We want to continue working to rehabilitate damaged houses so that we can return government buildings currently occupied by homeless families back to government offices. We want to change and amend our social laws to make them more flexible to handle changes happening in Iraq. We want to train our employees to do their best and learn modern management methods."

Document(s): original document

13.09.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

HALF THE WORKFORCE UNEMPLOYED [ID 10931]

"IWPR Iraqi Press Monitor No. 155

(Al-Bayan) - Unemployment stands at 53% according to a survey taken in July, said an official source in the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation. The source added that the ministry was now conducting a third survey to determine the change in the rate of unemployment during the period surveyed. Meanwhile, a committee from the International Monetary Fund confirmed that unemployment stands at more than 50% of the workforce.
(The Islamic Dawa Party, chaired by Vice-President Ibrahim al-Jafari, issues Al-Bayan four times weekly.)"

Document(s): Open document

02.09.2004 - Source: International Crisis Group

Report focused on reconstruction (unemployment problem, corruption and the lack of transparency, international assistance) ("Reconstructing Iraq") [#25346],  [ID 10932]

Document(s): Open document

08.2004 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Report on the current security and legal situation, material safety, displacement situation, human rights and protection situation as well as an overall analysis ("Country of Origin Information (COI) paper on Iraq (as of August 2004)") [#24717],  [ID 10933]

Employment situation and other forms of income generation

"In addition to the security situation, the second source of concern as well as main obstacle to return is constituted by the current high rate of unemployment in Iraq. Prior to the recent war, persons who were unemployed were able to benefit from some type of welfare provided by the government although it must nevertheless be pointed out that this assistance was extremely limited and difficult to access. Following the Coalition invasion, people who had previously been employed by the Iraqi Government and public industry found themselves unemployed. While prices have gone up, many people have become very vulnerable as they are no longer able to support their needs and those of their families. Very few job opportunities exist due to the public ministries’ lack of budget and the collapse of public industry. Competition for vacant posts is extremely high, with one post often receiving between 400-700 applications. Salaries, on the other hand, are very low and do not enable people to do more than to cover very basic needs, if that. Many people consulted stated that they depend on money from relatives living abroad as well as food assistance from the Public Distribution System in order to
survive. Returnees from third countries often receive cash grants in order to start small businesses, but the market for such businesses is extremely limited. Returnees may also face discrimination when looking for jobs if they are no longer known by the community and must compete with others who have remained in Iraq despite the economic and political hardships faced. It has been suggested that a recommendation by a political or religious party in favour of a returnee would be helpful in avoiding such discrimination on the labour market. However, many Iraqis consulted in the course of research for the present paper suggested that vocational training in fields such as agriculture could be a means with which to enable Iraqis, and especially third country returnees, to find and generate employment. There is also a demand for skilled labourers throughout the country, (especially contractors and persons skilled in construction projects) although some people may be reluctant to look for work in these fields given the numerous cases of kidnapping and in some cases execution of contractors and construction personnel over the past few months. The targeting of educated persons, e.g. university professors and intellectuals has also increased over the last six months or so. These threats against Iraqi “intelligentsia ” may have an impact on the employment prospects of educated persons wishing to return to Iraq."

Document(s): Open document

20.07.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Construction in the north: shortage of both skilled and unskilled labour ("original document") [ID 10934]

Information about the construction boom in the three governorates Dohuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, wage hike because of increasingly dire shortage of both skilled and unskilled labour.

Document(s): original document

05.11.2003 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Unemployment rate around 60 percent ("original source") [ID 10938]

"Shops in the capital and around the country are full of fresh food and vegetables and imported products, but the unemployment rate is currently at least 60 percent, according to unofficial estimates following the war."

Document(s): original source