60pc Bahrain youth worried about unemployment: Survey

Manama : Bahraini youth are extremely worried about unemployment, according to ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey conducted by PSB Research.

An overwhelming majority of the Bahraini youth who took part in the survey said that they are ‘very concerned’ about unemployment. Responding to the survey, 60 per cent of the Bahrain youth chose responded with ‘very concerned. Bahrain was listed as one of the three countries in the region where youth are more likely to be concerned about unemployment. 

Iraq had the highest percentage of youth concerned about unemployment with 69 per cent concerned, Algeria was second highest with 64 per cent of youth concerned.

One of two Arab youth said that they are concerned about losing their current job because of the economic situation in the region. However, youth in the GCC are optimistic about where the country is headed.

 “In the GCC member states, an overwhelming majority (85 per cent) of young people said their country has been heading in the right direction over the past five years, but in the Levant and Yemen, which face mounting social, political and economic challenges, the same number, 85 per cent, said their country is headed in the wrong direction bringing the division of views into the spotlight,” the survey report stated.

English language gaining prominence among youth

For the first time in the history of the ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey, Arab youth have said that they are more likely to speak in English than Arabic. 

Responding to the survey Arab youth said that they have been using English more than Arabic in their daily lives. 

 “Despite their pride in the Arabic language, most young Arabs said they are using English more than Arabic in their daily lives.  Eighty per cent of young Arabs agree with the statement “Arabic is central to my national identity.”

Yet, 60 per cent of young Arabs said that Arabic is losing value and, for the first time, more than half of young Arabs (54 per cent) said they are using English more than Arabic in their daily lives (up from 46 per cent in 2016),” the survey said.