“Three years of waiting is enough. We want your words to be followed by action,” said one placard at the rally, which took place outside the Council of Ministers compound in the Kurdistan Region capital. “Let this be the last time we take to the streets,” read another.
The protesters, many of whom secured the highest grades among the class of 2016, say they are entitled to well-paid and secure jobs in the government sector – the Kurdistan Region’s biggest employer.
“It has been three years we have been jobless. We hope the new cabinet employs us,” said one protester, who studied the English language, a skill required of top public officials.
The unemployment rate among 15 to 24 year olds in the Kurdistan Region stands at 23.9 percent, according to a report published by the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office on June 30.
Monday’s protest coincided with a jobs fair organized by Rwanga, a local NGO promoting professional and educational opportunities for the youth. Some 166 companies from 14 countries took part, covering 36 sectors including trade and tourism. More than 1,700 jobs are up open to applicants.
Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region, inaugurated the fair. He urged the public and private sectors, along with civil society organizations, to coordinate and contribute to economic development and job creation in the Kurdistan Region.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani addresses the Rwanga Foras International Job Fair 2019 in Erbil, July 15, 2019. Photo: Rudaw TV
“I am sure economic conditions will improve, the market will reinvigorate, and job opportunities for Kurdistan youth will increase. And for this to happen, we need to regroup and prepare for the next phase,” Barzani added. “We are looking to a better future with hope.”
The Kurdistan Region is gradually emerging from a painful economic crisis, beginning with the loss of its share of the federal budget in 2014, the oil crash of 2016, and an expensive war against the Islamic State group (ISIS).
The resulting financial crisis forced the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to impose austerity measures. Public sector employees went unpaid for several months and hiring came to a standstill, provoking strikes and protests.
Although green shoots of recovery are beginning to show, the jobs environment is made worse by a pervasive culture of wasta – the use of family ties to secure work. No matter their grades, those without connections can be overlooked.
Many young workers will continue to look overseas for new opportunities, potentially contributing to a brain-drain effect on the Kurdistan Region economy.
Nearly half of the active workforce in the Kurdistan Region is employed in the public sector according to a September 2018 demographic survey.
“The public sector employs nearly half of the working population and as much as 75 percent of working women,” the survey found.
For men it is more varies, with 44 percent are in the public sector, 12 percent in the private sector, and 21 percent are self-employed, 21 percent are daily workers, and 2 percent are unpaid family workers.
“Higher education is often a guarantee of finding employment in the public sector: 92 percent of women holding a secondary or a graduate degree work in the public sector, compared to 57 percent of women who have completed primary, intermediate or basic education, and 25 percent of women who have no degree,” the survey says.
“This advantage also holds true for men,” its adds. “The share of men with higher education working in the public sector is nearly double of those who do not have a formal degree.”
“Higher education is also correlated with higher employment in the private sector, both for private sector employees and employers, whereas self-employment and daily work is more prevalent among less educated – and less affluent – individuals.”
With reporting from Salim Ibrahim
