Is Middle East's young labor boom blessing or curse?
By 2040, the Middle East and North Africa will see a sharp increase in young people who enter the labor force, which could lead to disaster if areas like education aren’t improved.
BEIRUT — The growing young population in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) can either be a source of growth or a factor of instability, depending on their skills and education, according to a new report titled MENA Generation 2030.
At the beginning of the century, half of the Middle East and North Africa’s population was below the age of 24; in the coming decades, this generation will be a part of an unprecedented influx of working-age people in the region, the report said.
The UNICEF report found that over 1 million people will enter the workforce every year from 2020 to 2032.
This workforce, combined with declining birthrates, will lead to a window between now and 2040 where there will be 100 working-age people (ages 15-64) for every 50 dependent children and elderly people, a demographic change that could be a blessing or a curse.
