In Weak Economy, Iraqis Look for Government Jobs

Amid a floundering job market, many Iraqis look to public-sector jobs as a means of stable, permanent employment, reports Omar al-Shaher.
A professor gives a lecture to students at the College of Administration and Economy in Baghdad University March 16, 2009. Iraqi academics who fled abroad from violence and oppression are trickling back home in response to pleas from their government -- but they are finding jobs few and the welcome far from warm. Many waited years for Saddam Hussein to fall, and longer for sectarian violence, triggered by the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, to end. Picture taken March 16, 2009. To match Feature IRAQ/ACADEMICS
A professor gives a lecture to students at the College of Administration and Economy in Baghdad University, Mar. 16, 2009. - REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani
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Omar al-Shaher

The Iraqi Ministry of Education said that one of its universities has surrendered to overwhelming pressure and agreed to sign contracts with several employees based on a daily wage system. They have settled on a salary of $8 per month. The employees hope to obtain permanent positions as they become available. Some of them have leaked information to the media to increase the pressure on their employers.

A job in the government has become the dream for millions of Iraqi university graduates, as the private sector plays a declining role in the job market.

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