The document discusses unemployment in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It begins by providing background on the establishment of the GCC and key statistics. Unemployment is then defined according to international standards. The main causes of unemployment in GCC countries are discussed under four aspects: economic situation, government and institution regulations, education systems, and social situation. Charts are included showing labor force breakdowns by nationality in different GCC countries.

1. Unemployment in
Gulf Cooperation
Council Countries
Osama Zeid Almhmade
Student ID: 395286

2. Source : Wikimedia
• The Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC]
was established on 25 May 1981
between: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
• The GCC is established in view of
the special relations between them.
• The geographic proximity of these
countries is the factor that
encouraged them to establish the
GCC.
• The GCC’s (GDP) around $ 1,059.9
Billion. (1)
• The labor market in the GCC
countries share common features
such as reliance on foreign labor.
• The expatriate labor force in GCC
are varied in proportion.
Total Area: 3 million km²
Population: 34,813 Million Person
Introduction

3. • The Definition:
there are three international definition
of unemployment (2) :
1. Without work
2. Currently available for work
3. Seeking work
Unemployment

4. • The main causes of unemployment
in GCC countries enrol under four
main aspects :
1. economic situation
2. government and institutions
regulations
3. education systems
4. social situation
Unemployment in GCC
In Arabic means unemployment
unemployment rate in GCC hit 10.5%
Source: unemployment report, www.TalentRepublic.net

5. •Economic boom as a result of the
gush of oil prices in the seventies
led to the need for more
employment .
•Foreign employment problem.
Unemployment in GCC
Economic Situation
•The competition between the
foreign labor and the national labor.

6. No. Country Year Total
population
National Non-
National
Non
National
%
1 United Arab Emirates 2006 4,496,000 984,624 3,511,376 78.10
2 Kingdom of Bahrain 2006 742,561 459,012 283,549 38.18
3 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2006 23,678,849 17,261,880 6,416,969 27.10
4 Sultanate of Oman 2006 2,486,000 1,855,301 630,699 25.37
5 State of Qatar 2006 885,359 208,059 677,300 76.50
6 State of Kuwait 2006 2,525,000 990,135 1,534,865 60.78
Total 34,813,769 21,759,011 13,054,758 37.51
Source: Arab Labour Organisation Web site:
http://www.alolabor.org/nArabLabor/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=15&id=85&Itemid=64
Total and percentage of population (national and non-national)
in the Arab Gulf countries to the most recent year available
Unemployment in GCC
Economic Situation

7. Total of population (national and non-national) in the Arab Gulf
countries
Unemployment in GCC
Economic Situation
Source: Arab Labour Organisation Web site:
http://www.alolabor.org/nArabLabor/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=15&id=85&Itemid=64
0
5,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
20,000,000
25,000,000
UAE Bahrain Saudi Arabia Oman Qatar Kuwait
Total population
National
Non- National

8. Source: Arab Labour Organisation Web site:
http://www.alolabor.org/nArabLabor/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=15&id=85&Itemid=64
The labour force and percentage of national and non-national Labour
in the Arab Gulf countries to the most recent year available
No. Country
Y
e
a
r
Labour
Force total
National labour Non-national labour
No. of
national
labour
National
Labour %
No. of non-
national
labour
Non-
national
labour %
1 United Arab Emirates 2005 3,315,000 577,000 17.74 2,738,000 82.26
2 Kingdom of Bahrain 2005 522,000 216,000 41.42 306,000 58.58
3
Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia 2005 7,579,000 2,685,000 35.43 4,894,000 64.57
4 Sultanate of Oman 2005 914,000 309,000 33.87 605,000 66.13
5 State of Qatar 2005 555,714 240,680 43.31 315,034 56.69
6 State of Kuwait 2005 1,594,603 291,812 18.30 1,302,791 81.70
Total 14,480,317 4,319,492 29.73 10,160,825 70.27
Unemployment in GCC
Economic Situation

9. 0
1,000,000
2,000,000
3,000,000
4,000,000
5,000,000
6,000,000
7,000,000
8,000,000
UAE Bahrain Saudi Arabia Oman Qatar Kuwait
Labor Force total
No. of national labour
No. of non- national labour
The labour force of national and non-national Labour in the Arab Gulf
countries
Unemployment in GCC
Economic Situation
Source: Arab Labour Organisation Web site:
http://www.alolabor.org/nArabLabor/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=15&id=85&Itemid=64

10. Unemployment in GCC
Economic Situation
• Oil dependence
•Centralized economies
•Overspending
•Massive subsidizations
Sources: National authorities; and IMF staff estimates.
Oil Dependency in GCC Countries (%)

11. Unemployment in GCC
government and
institutions regulations
•Statistics for unemployment
•Labor unions
•There are no strong conditions
imposed on the private sector
•Private sector prefer foreign labor
•The coordination between HEIs
and other training institutions

12. Unemployment in GCC
education systems
•performance of schools
•people with little formal
qualification
•fifty percent of the unemployed
have no formal qualification

13. Unemployment in GCC
social situation
•socio-cultural background
•Support poor people
•People in rural areas

14. 1 Gulf Cooperation Council:
http://www.gcc-sg.org/eng/index.php
2 The International Labour Organization (ILO):
http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm
Unemployment in GCC
Resources