The purpose of the follow-up survey was to collect the youths’ perceptions of the private sector, discuss factors that drive those opinions, formulate recommendations that key decision-makers and stakeholders can act on to best prepare youths for the ever-changing industry, and initiate a dialogue about opportunities for youth employment in the private industry. More than 2,400 youths between the ages of 16 and 36 from 17 MENA countries took part in the survey.
Key Findings
We see a 41% increase in the positive sentiment for the private sector – as compared to an 11% drop in the positive sentiment for the growth of the sector
The survey also however gauged some negative sentiment with 10% of youth in medium-to-low income countries expressing negative sentiment regarding the private sector – a figure 43% higher than the MENA average.
Respondents cited lack of the years of experience required for the job, uncompetitive compensation and benefits and lack of job security as the top three reasons for the negative sentiment towards the private sector.
INJAZ is a non-profit organization that promotes youth education and training in the Arab world. It is the regional arm of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JAW). Focal areas of education comprise workforce readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. With a network of 13 ministries of education, over 4,000 schools, 346 universities and 80,000+ corporate volunteers, INJAZ aims to equip the youth with the skills demanded by the private sector to foster employability and job creation. Since 1999, more than 3.5 million students have completed INJAZ programs across the MENA region.
