Iraq

Employment centers have names of more than 1 million jobless Iraqis

By Ahmad al-Taai

Employment and training centers across the country have to deal with an army of jobless Iraqis whose numbers have recently shot to more than 1.2 million, a statement by the ministry of labor and social affairs said.

The massive jobless figure includes only those who have registered with these centers in the hope of finding a job.

Ministry officials estimate that the jobless figure maybe twice that number as many unemployed Iraqis simply do not bother to register with these centers.

The statement said only 101,890 names in the country’s bloating jobless books were women.

The figure also does not include the nearly two million Iraqi refugees almost all of them jobless who have fled to neighboring states.

You know I wonder if the Bush Junta has even considered the link between unemployment and the insurgency?

because people without jobs end up a) having lots of spare time on their hands and b) creates resentment, which the various insurgency groups can use as a recruiting tool.