The Determinants of Youth Unemployment in Qatar

Abstract

While Qatari unemployment is low compared to regional standards, unemployment is even more concentrated among first time job-seeking youth than in other countries in the Arab world. This paper examines the factors that influence unemployment by young Qataris when they are first entering the labor market. This paper first introduces the set of labor market policies that govern the employment of Qatari nationals. Next, the paper examines the labor market outcomes of Qatari youth from 1995 to 2014 to evaluate the effect of these policies. Finally, the paper uses a unique data set of 2,000 primarily young Qataris to model unemployment duration. These data were collected in September and October of 2014 and explore typical labor market indicators as well as questions concerning the school to work transition. Using non-parametric models of unemployment duration, this paper describes the different characteristics that are correlated with longer spells of unemployment duration by first time job seekers. The paper finds that own education and gender are the two most important factors determining the length of unemployment spells for young Qataris.