Iraq is employing too many people in government jobs and a precipitous fall in oil prices makes the situation untenable, a United Nations report warned on Sunday. Unemployment is particularly bad among young men in the war-torn country, with males aged between 15 and 29 making up 57 percent of the total 18 percent of people who are out of work.
"The number of Iraqis employed in the public sector has doubled since 2005...currently providing 43 percent of all jobs in Iraq," said the survey by the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. "The recent sharp drop in oil prices and absence of other budget sources makes this level of public employment unsustainable," the Iraq Labour Force Analysis 2003-2008 report said.
A dominant public sector, which offers secure and relatively highly-paid jobs, is stifling efforts to create viable businesses offering alternative employment, it said. "Full-time private employment has fallen from 25 percent in 2003 to 17 percent in 2008," the report said.