Unemployment in the Arab world is the worst in the world, according to a report by the Arab Labour Organisation (ALO), prompting Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mussa to warn Thursday that this was "extremely dangerous", the dpa reported.
Unemployment rates as high as 66 per cent in some Arab countries showed there was a flaw in education systems that needed urgent action, Mussa said.
"Creating new jobs and increasing skills of human resources will result in more investment and openness to the world," Mussa said during the ALO report's Cairo launch.
The report - "Employment and Unemployment in the Arab States: Towards Effective Policies and Mechanisms" - states that the general rate of unemployment in Arab countries exceeds 14 per cent, meaning the Arab region has more than 17 million unemployed.
Unemployment among young Arabs was estimated at 25 per cent, the report said, while that among women exceeded 23 per cent.
The report described unemployment rates in the Arab countries as the worst worldwide, noting that it would get worse unless the necessary steps were taken.
Ahmed Luqman, Director General of the ALO, said the first step was to better qualify university graduates and provide them with skills that meet the needs of the job market.