No one can possibly deny that we have many problems and that some of them are very serious ones. Nonetheless, we have not even been able to address some of them as they should be addressed. And the reason is simply that we lack the data and information required for thorough analysis.
Take for example unemployment. When the World Bank put unemployment among Saudi males at 14 percent and said the figure would be 25 percent if unemployment among women was added, the minister of labor and social affairs replied by stating there was no officially recognized figure for unemployment in the Kingdom.
It is essential to know the number of unemployed, their professions, how many new and old college graduates are without work and for how long, as well the number of unemployed among the illiterate and other categories. The latter group is important because many of those who received little or no education have shunned the profession of their fathers, preferring to remain without work rather than take what they view as menial jobs. The result is that our heritage is fast disappearing.
No one is volunteering to tell us the exact situation in the market or what statistics and information, if any, are available to those who want to do market research. Just recently, the minister of labor and social affairs said the only figure available for unemployment was 8.36 percent and that this figure was compiled by the Department of General Statistics. This department was, until a short time ago, a part of the Ministry of Finance, but since the recent Cabinet shuffle, it is not clear whether the department remains part of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy or has been attached to the Ministry of Planning. The fact about this department is that it is a very discreet agency whose work is shrouded in secrecy. It never tells the public of its work and if it does, it is only by publishing scarce and sketchy reports. It is no wonder this kind of information does not satisfy researchers and academics.
If the 8.36 percent figure is the result of thorough research, why did the department not publish the details and tell us when the study was conducted, who was included in it and whether the figure is accurate or approximate.
What we need right now is a national statistics authority to carry out field studies and research on the many problems facing the country. Transparency here is of vital importance. We need an authority that does not withhold information or treat it as a secret to be carefully guarded.
Some problems, such as unemployment, drug abuse, illegal arms trading along with serious health threats such as AIDS may prove disastrous if not properly addressed.
But how can we expect to solve the problem of poverty in the absence of adequate and reliable information on the number of people falling in this category, without being able to tell what the poverty line is and what differentiates urban from rural poverty?
Arab News From the Local Press 2 July 2003
