The demographic dilemma of the Arab world: The employment aspect

During the second half of the twentieth century, the world's population increased more rapidly than ever before, climbing from 2.5 billion in 1950 to 6.1 billion in 2000. The main contributors to this rapid growth were the developing countries, including the Arab states. While many studies have been written on the economic consequences of the rapid population growth in the Middle East, concentrating mainly on the population/resources imbalance, this article deals specifically with two aspects of the employment issue - the development of employment pressure in the Arab countries and the reaction of the governments to the October 1973 'oil boom'.