An Analytical Study of the Causes of Unemployment in Iraq from the Point view of the Unemployed: An Applied model for Diyala Governorate 2021

Abstract

Unemployment is a severe issue that affects a large portion of the national labor force. It is detrimental to the community's numerous facets, the economic, the social, and the political. From this standpoint, this research focuses on the phenomenon of unemployment in Diyala governorate that forms the central part of Eastern Iraq and has a population of 1,626,000, with an unemployment rate of not less than 32%. The investigation seeks to pinpoint the root reasons of the governorate's unemployment. The research relied on data from a sample of 1500 unemployed people; the questionnaire was distributed to the administrative unit of the governorate during the month of February 2021 and used the descriptive and experimental analysis method through the use of SPSS program. The most important result of the research is the high percentage of unemployed males 69% and females 31%. The main reasons for the high unemployment rate in the governorate are the lack of sufficient work opportunities, seasonality of work, mediation and favoritism, long distance between residency place and workplace and the lack of experience and skills. Due to these results, the researcher recommends the increase of the investments in order to provide job opportunities, eliminating financial and administrative corruption, linking education to the requirement of market needs, and developing advanced training programs compatible with the market needs.