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The Role of Education in Preparing Graduates for the Labor Market in the GCC Countries

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  • Lynn A. Karoly

Abstract

In the 21st century knowledge economy, education plays an increasingly important role in preparing new labor market entrants for the workforce and providing skill upgrading throughout the working career. The vital role of education is propelled by the rapid pace of technological change, as well as the interdependent, global economy, forces that together demand a workforce with the capacity for leadership, problem solving, and collaboration and communication in a wide range of economic sectors. Within this context, the education and workforce development systems are critical for supporting human capital development throughout the life course. This paper reviews these broader trends regarding the role of education in the labor market and then considers the implications for education in the countries of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Where data are available, the paper examines patterns of educational attainment overall in these countries, evidence of the quality of the education systems and the graduates they produce, and the labor market benefits of higher educational attainment. It also assesses gender differences, where possible, in each of these indicators of interest. The paper concludes by enumerating several key challenges facing the Gulf countries in promoting strong education systems and well functioning labor markets to meet the labor force needs in the private and public sectors in the 21st century global economy.

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  • Lynn A. Karoly, 2010. "The Role of Education in Preparing Graduates for the Labor Market in the GCC Countries," Working Papers WR-742, RAND Corporation.
    • Handle: RePEc:ran:wpaper:wr-742
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    2. Komarev, Iliya & Preobragenskaya, Galina, 2022. "A framework of market-relevant accounting competencies for the Gulf Cooperation countries (GCC)," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    3. Du, Xinming, 2023. "Competing with clean air: Pollution disclosure and college desirability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(PA).
    4. Vishanth Weerakkody & Mohamad Osmani & Paul Waller & Nitham Hindi & Rajab Al-Esmail, 2016. "Situating Continuing Professional Development in Life Long Learning in Qatar," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 11(11), pages 1-81, October.
    5. Rutledge, Emilie & Madi, Mohamed & Forstenlechner, Ingo, 2014. "Parental influence on female vocational decisions in the Arabian Gulf," MPRA Paper 47521, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Osiris Parcero & James Christopher Ryan, 2024. "Becoming a Knowledge Economy: the Case of Qatar, UAE and 17 Benchmark Countries," Papers 2401.04214, arXiv.org.
    7. Ehsan Saeed Idrees YAQOOT & Wan Shakizah Wan MOHD. NOOR & Mohd Faizal MOHD ISA, 2017. "Antecedents of Training Effectiveness in Bahrain," Expert Journal of Business and Management, Sprint Investify, vol. 5(1), pages 13-21.
    8. Cristina Ciumas & Claudia-Andreea Urean & Gabriela Mihaela Muresan & Gabriel Armean, 2017. "Education And Employment Rate In Romania," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1(1), pages 81-86, July.

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