'Oman youth among 66% Arabs who prefer government jobs'

Muscat: Two out of three young persons in the Arab world would prefer working in the public sector according to a survey.
The eighth annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth survey unveiled the findings at the Global Islamic Economy Summit in Dubai, which contains the economic and political view of the Arab Youth.
In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, the rate of interest in employment in the government sector rose to a massive 70 per cent.
The percentage of youth, who would like to see themselves as private sector workforce was only 15 per cent, with another 14 per cent having no preference. 1 per cent of the sample population answered with a “don’t know.”
Announcing the findings, Sunil John, chief executive officer of ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller emphasised on the importance of the private sector in driving the economy. “Persuading young people to take on roles in the private sector is essential for creating a strong, sustainable economy.”
International polling firm Penn Schoen Berland conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews this year. The sample constituted Arab nationals aged 18 to 24 years, split evenly into males and females.
For Oman, individuals aged 18 to 24 years were surveyed in equal number from the Muscat and Batinah region.
The countries surveyed included the six GCC countries besides Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Lbya, Palestine, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen and Algeria.