Results of the 2003 demand labor force survey [Archives:2004/751/Local News]

Mohammed bin Sallam
Under the\auspices of Prime Minister, Mr. Ba Jamal, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor celebrated on Wednesday, June 23 the announcement of the results of the 2003 Demand Labor Force Survey, conducted by the Ministry, in cooperation with the Central Statistics Apparatus, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Regional Office of the International Labor Organization in Beirut, after a period of 7 months of field work.
During the celebration, the Prime Minister pointed out that the gap between the supply of and demand for labor was attributed to mismatch between skills demanded and supplied. This problem has social, economic and psychological dimensions and it is connected with the awareness level of general public of the definition and value of labor. He described the value of labor in our mentality remains at a low level, and subsequently affects the type of specialty needed for the labor market.
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Dr. Abdulkareem Al-Arhabi, on his part, said, “The increase in the number of workers demanded each year is 42,277, whereas the average annual increase in the labor supply is estimated at 180,000 workers”.
The minister, at the conclusion of his speech, highlighted a number of solutions and suggested proposals to develop and to align demand and supply in the labor market. He emphasized the need to increase training opportunities for bearers of qualifications, and skillful technicians and specialized workers to supply the labor market. He also confirmed the importance of swift responses from training centers to the demands of the market place in order to create and to sustain a balance between the skills demanded and supplied.
Mr. James Rawley, the UNDP Resident Representative said, “As Yemen seeks to increase it annual economic growth over and above the population growth, to create jobs in a sustainable manner and to alleviate poverty, it is critical that an accurate picture of the labor force be painted. This is why this survey, and the results it has produced, are so important”.
“Indeed, the Labor Force Demand Survey results suggest that the Government of Yemen and Yemeni society at large need to pay particular attention toward job creation and employment generation, not least because nearly 50 percent of the Yemeni population is under the age of 15, implying that large numbers of new jobs will have to be created in the near future and that action needs to be taken now”, said Mr. Rawley.
A number of ministers and state related officials also attended the celebration.
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