Over half of young Arabs in Levant, N Africa, pin hopes on emigrating

Over half of young Arabs in Levant, N Africa, pin hopes on emigrating

BEIRUT: More than half of young Arabs in north Africa and the Levant say they are actively trying to emigrate or considering leaving their home countries in search of better jobs abroad, a research shows.

The latest Arab Youth Survey by global communications agency Asda’a BCW, released on Thursday, found that 53 percent of people aged 18-24 in Levantine countries — Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian territories — and 48 percent of those in north Africa wanted to move abroad to find work. The figure drops to 27 percent in the oil and gas exporting countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where living standards are higher than in the rest of the region, the Financial Times reported quoting the survey.

Canada tops the list of preferred destinations, with 34 percent of those surveyed choosing the country. The US followed at 30 percent, Germany and the UK were picked by 20 percent each and France by 17 percent. “The desire to emigrate corresponds with the bleak economic outlook in many Arab nations,” said Asda’a BCW, which has conducted the survey annually for the past 15 years. In the survey, 72 percent of young Levantines and almost two-thirds of young North