Business & Money | Tuesday 24 November, 2015 9:39 am |

Despite the decades of regional advancements that have led to the improvement of gender equality in education, according to the OECD less than one in three women in MENA today are in the labor force. A white paper entitled ‘First Jobs for Young Women in the Middle East & North Africa: Expectations and Reality’ released by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s leading job site, in collaboration with global market research agency, YouGov, and the leading youth employment network in the Middle East and North Africa, Education For Employment (EFE), addresses the key concerns and the realities faced by young women wishing to enter the job market in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). 

The research into gender inclusion in the region sheds light on the current status of the employment of young women, as well as the perceptions and the realities that they face in today’s job market and workplace. 

Notably, much existing research on female unemployment in the region is generalized across all ages and does not specifically address young women, although they are coming of professional age amid a historic “young bulge” and rapid technological change. For example, when they consider entering the job market, how do young women look for employment?  What expectations and assumptions shape the transition of young female job seekers as they attempt to enter the working world? How do these compare with the expectations and assumptions of young women who are already in the labor force, and to those – both female and male – who are in a position to hire them? 

As a first step in addressing these questions, Bayt.com, YouGov, and Education For Employment (EFE) administered a survey to young female job seekers, young women early in their careers, and professionals (both male and female) who make hiring decisions at their organizations. The resulting white paper presents valuable insights into the hiring practices of employers, as well as the expectations versus reality for young female job seekers and employees. 

Interesting findings emerged as a result of the ‘First Jobs for Young Women in the Middle East & North Africa: Expectations and Reality’ survey. These include: 

• In the GCC, 53% of young female job seekers expect it will be more difficult for women than men to find their first full-time job. 
• In terms of challenges, only 4% of young women and 8% of employers in MENA indicated that they believe there are no challenges facing young women entering their field. 
• When compared to other regions in MENA, those in the GCC were most likely to face societal pressures when looking to secure a job,  with young female job seekers in the GCC being most likely to select ’lack of gender segregated environment’ (32%).  They also cited’transportation/commute difficulties’ (68%) as important challenges when securing a job. 
• The role of personal connections or ‘wasta’ in securing a job was clear in the survey results. 32% of young employed women in MENA cited knowing someone within the company was a helpful factor in securing their first job, while 25% of women seeking jobs indicated that they believed knowing someone at the company would be the most effective method for them to secure their first full-time paid job.
• The GCC tended to have lower proportions of female employees, with 66% of respondents indicating that their offices are made up of at most 25% women.
• The public/government sector was the most popular choice for jobseekers in the GCC (38%), while small or medium local private companies hold little appeal to young women seeking employment in the GCC (6%). In reality, only 16% of women are actually working in the government sector, with the largest proportion (41%) working in local private companies.
• The vast majority of young women and employers in MENA indicated that they personally support policies to drive the employment of young women, with more than 80% of young women and nearly 70% of employers indicating their support.
• Top reasons that employers in MENA cited for the perceived positive impact of women’s employment on the bottom line were women’s attributes or skills, such as leadership and loyalty (18%) and enhanced productivity (11%).

“There seems to be a disparity between the expectations and reality of young women joining the workforce, as well as a lack of either implementation or awareness of hiring policies to encourage the employment of young women in MENA. We are aware of the positive impact women have on the bottom line and are steadfast in our commitment to creating a knowledge sharing environment about the realities of work in the Middle East and North Africa region,” said Lama Ataya, Chief Marketing Officer, Bayt.com. “By offering valuable insights and real-life data to both employers and job seekers, we can be the change catalyst that empowers young women to gain sustainable employment and close the existing gender gap.”

Joao Neves, Senior Research Director, YouGov, said: “This white paper highlights areas where immediate action is possible to enhance the employment outlook of young women across the region. YouGov will continue to look for opportunities to inform and educate the region about the issues that are relevant to reducing youth unemployment across MENA and the urgent need to address them.”

“Over half of Education For Employment’s graduates are young women, and every day we see the profound impact that young employed women create at their companies and in their communities.    Collaborating with Bayt.com and YouGov to generate knowledge around the obstacles to young women’s employment is a crucial part of our mission to empower youth in the Middle East and North Africa with the skills and opportunities that they need to build successful careers and bright futures for themselves, their families and their societies,” said Jasmine Nahhas di Florio, Vice President for Strategy & Partnerships, Education For Employment.

This study utilized a quantitative online survey to collect the opinions and experiences of 2,319 individuals from the MENA region. The survey was administered to YouGov panel participants and respondents from both the Bayt.com and EFE databases from June 7-30, 2015. The samples of employed women (282), young women seeking employment (797), and individuals involved in hiring decisions (1,240) were representative of the MENA region, with the participation of residents from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE, and Yemen.