Arab youth survey shows 70 percent prefers government-based jobs

A new finding from the 2016 ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey revealed that 70 percent of young Gulf job seekers prefer government jobs to private-sector jobs.

The study indicates that young people feel the private sector needs to match the salaries and benefits, including vacation time, offered by government jobs.

Results of the eighth annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey were unveiled by Sunil John, CEO of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, at a presentation to the third Global Islamic Economy Summit.

The survey also shows that across the entire Arab world, half of young people would prefer a government job to private sector work. When asked what would entice them to work in the private sector, most indicated they would like higher wages, better health care, more paid holidays and shorter working hours.

“Persuading young people to take on roles in the private sector is essential to creating a strong, sustainable economy,” John said. “These findings show that, despite ongoing efforts to make the private sector more appealing to young Gulf Arabs, the message isn’t getting through as fast as governments -- or the private sector -- would like. New initiatives and policies, such as Saudi’s Vision 2030, the removal of subsidies on fuel and introduction of VAT across the Gulf, show that governments are serious about new economic realities. However, it seems balancing expectations about public sector work with the realities of private sector employment for those young nationals entering the workforce will require more effort.”