Youth Ambassador Think Tank: Building a Career in a Slumping Global Economy
14 Apr 2009 in Employment
MEYI’s Youth Ambassador Think Tank is a forum to encourage active discussion on topics of timely relevance to Middle Eastern youth. Our fifth topic asks how young people are proceeding in their job search in the context of a slumping global economy.
The Think Tank shares brief perspectives from MEYI's Youth Ambassadors on a current issue or topic relevant to MEYI's research. The primary goal is to stimulate an exchange of ideas between youth in the region and the wider public, and for emerging research concepts to be defined and evaluated by youth – the very population whose lives this research hopes to impact. Youth Ambassadors will provide initial responses to the topic, which will rotate on a regular basis.
We encourage you to visit our facebook discussion board to participate in the discussion, or to submit your comments through the "Write to the Editor" form below.
THINK TANK DISCUSSION #5: BUILDING A CAREER IN A SLUMPING GLOBAL ECONOMY
Whether in school or in the job market – many of you have started (or are going through the process of) identifying career options for the future. What individual or group of individuals – i.e. friends, family members, mentors – have been the most supportive and helpful for you during this search? What resources have you used, or do you plan to use, to look for jobs? Is there any resource, human or otherwise, that currently you do not have access to but which you feel could assist you in your job or career search? Finally, please feel free to share any additional thoughts based on your own experience with choosing a career path or based on the experience of friends and family members during these difficult economic times.
YASSER SALIMI (Tehran, Iran):
"Regarding my job search experience, until now, I have mostly used connections through family and friends. As the government is still the biggest employer in Iran, like in other developing countries, the job market is traditional and finding a job mostly depends on the connections that you have, rather than skills and experience. Recently AIESEC Iran held its first career fair in Iran successfully. [1] Career fairs are not common in Iran and therefore are not familiar to most students, graduates and employers. In my opinion, they are a good way to connect the job market and job-seekers together, and to fit qualified individuals into specific job vacancies. Organizations such as AIESEC play an important role in preparing students for professional jobs and in helping them to determine their career path. As Iran continues with economic policies to encourage privatization, it will need a more professional job market and a more practical system for employing job-seekers."
RADWAN WETTI (Damascus, Syria):
"The topic itself is a new one for the Syrian job market, since the term ‘career,’ rather than ‘job,’ is very new in my country. When searching for and choosing a career, most young Syrians will either:
a) pursue the same career path that previous generations of their family followed if they, for example, were professional laborers (plumbers, painters, carpenters, small business owners, etc.);
b) will let their scores in the compulsory high school exams determine their major in university and, therefore, their professional or scientific career path (lawyers, physicians, engineers, etc.) – again, the family plays a major role in this decision making process; or
c) will wander from job to job, sector to sector, until they find their passion or are particularly successful in one of these jobs and, from there, they will start to develop their skills to achieve success in this field.
Last, but definitely not least, the public sector still dominates the choices for employment among young people, as it is secure, easy, and does not require many skills or much effort. The majority of young Syrians still perceive it to be the ‘employer of choice.’ However these facts have started to change gradually with the new wave of NGOs and projects that strive to empower youth and provide them with the necessary tools – information, skills, techniques and advice – to make informed career decisions."
ALAA AL-MIZYEN (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia):
"With nearly 70 percent of Saudi Arabia's population between the ages of 15 and 30, my country has made the creation of employment opportunities one of its top priorities in order to take advantage of its young demographic profile. The current economic situation is not improving the state of the job market. Nevertheless, authorities at the Ministry of Labor continue to stress the importance of finding employment for the staggering number of new graduates every year. Recruitment agencies, career centers, and human resource-related websites targeted toward new graduates and the jobless have become a trend throughout the Kingdom, seeking to match personnel skills and interests with corresponding job vacancies.
As for me, suspended in between my last two years of college and my point of entry into the job market, I plan on utilizing my college career center in applying for internships at leading international investment firms and then, later on, applying for a job through this same student-focused center. All in all, the economic downturn has been taking its toll on the availability of employment for youth, but national authorities are working to tackle these issues in the job market and to expand its offerings."
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