SPOT REPORT: ROYG WORKS TO PRODUCE QUALIFIED

UNCLAS SANAA 001124

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP FOR ANDREW MACDONALD
NSC FOR AARON JOST
USAID FOR CHRIS KISCO
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR TYLER HOFFMAN
USTR FOR JASON BUNTIN
USTDA FOR CARL KRESS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EFIN ELAB ETRD PGOV PREL GCC YM
SUBJECT: SPOT REPORT: ROYG WORKS TO PRODUCE QUALIFIED
WORKERS FOR GULF MARKET


1. SUMMARY. The ROYG has developed a new strategy to provide
Yemeni workers with training specifically tailored for the
entry-level labor market in the Gulf. The ROYG,s plans come
after a May GCC decision to give Yemeni workers priority over
other foreign workers in Gulf state employment. An increase
in the number of qualified Yemeni workers is not only good
for the Gulf market, but also for Yemen and the future
stability of the country. END SUMMARY.


2. A series of cabinet meetings in early June resulted in a
ROYG plan to provide 50,000 Yemenis with training
specifically tailored to be marketable in the Gulf. Mohamed
Awadh Bin Rabiah, Deputy Minister for Planning and Projects
at the Ministry of Technical Education and Training, told
EconOff on June 9 that his ministry will focus on training,
while the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MOSAL) will
concentrate on coordination with the GCC. According to
Rabiah, the ROYG plan will initially focus on English
language and computer skills, and will expand to other areas
based on the labor market. He said that 17,000 Yemenis are
currently in vocational education, and that it would not be
difficult to meet the goal of training 50,000 entry-level
workers.


3. ROYG plans are in alignment with a May GCC decision to
give Yemeni workers priority over other foreign workers in
Gulf state employment. In addition, Saudi Arabia has decided
to favor Yemenis for jobs in the construction sector, as
reported in the Yemen Times on June 3. Still, Abdo
Al-Hakimi, First Deputy Minister at MOSAL, told EconOff that
he is skeptical about the Gulf,s ability to absorb Yemeni
workers due to the global financial crisis, and that the ROYG
needs specific requests for qualified entry-level workers
from the Gulf labor market in order to provide Yemenis with
appropriate training. Hakimi admitted, however, that outside
of the Gulf, there are few foreign markets for which Yemeni
workers are suited.

COMMENT
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4. While Yemenis have long worked in the Gulf, they are
rapidly being replaced with more qualified foreign workers.
While the number of Yemenis to be trained is still small, an
increase in qualified entry-level workers is not only good
for the Gulf market, but also for the Yemeni market.
Furthermore, the GCC commitment to Yemen, if realized, could
lend much to the future stability of the least developed
country on the Arabian Peninsula. END COMMENT.
SECHE