Saudi Arabia’s current development can be measured by its capital funds and manufacturing output. The overspill of the boom years left visible evidence reflected by high-rise buildings, mechanized factories, grand residences and well-equipped airports, all tell-tale signs of sophistication, advancement and growth. But, true sustainable growth that guarantees continuity and prosperity can only be measured by the level of expertise in a nation’s human resources. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the development of local manpower can only be achieved if the Kingdom develops a practical blueprint for reform in its education curricula and training needs.

In today’s fast growing economy, countries are desperately trying to develop their competitive edge to become members and decision makers of a global organization - the World Trade Organization.

The reality is that the WTO is becoming more discriminate, while countries are getting more competitive. Saudi Arabia’s sluggish accession to the organization can only be activated if it fast-forwards the process of qualifying its people, its single most valuable resource, to become a creative and productive industry. Economic development can only occur through the efficient use of the labor. If a nation does not place priority in developing the skills and the know-how of its human resources, it will paralyze its single most productive resource, and doom itself to mediocrity and failure.

It is a simple matter of economics. Economics is about economizing, that is, making the best use of what we have. It means using the people’s skills, the land, the buildings, the machinery and other resources efficiently so as to obtain the highest possible standards of living. A country’s human factor is the single most effective engine of growth, and education and training based on market needs are its fuel. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is no exception to that rule.

A clear and present challenge facing Saudi Arabia is the consistent rise of unemployment due mainly to a quality of education that does not reflect the realities of global changes; an education that neither places emphasis on industrial and technical abilities nor underscores the importance of research and development.

Defining the true rate of unemployment is difficult with several governing bodies providing us with inconsistent statistics. The Manpower Council in the Kingdom estimated unemployment among Saudis at approximately 14 percent, while other sources cited figures of 20 percent or higher. Independent private studies estimated it at 30 percent. Recently, the labor minister denounced all those numbers and relied on the numbers coming out of the Department of Statistics which ranged around nine percent.

Whatever the number, we all know that the problem exists. If according to estimates by the Samba Financial Group, the national economy creates 30,000 jobs each year for Saudi nationals, with 100,000 entering the job market. Here is a surplus of unemployed labor.

Unfortunately, this untapped resource is the product of a conservative educational system that has not been revised since its inception. It has limited fields of study for curricula with an abundance of subjects in unneeded majors. Most of its references are outdated, or out of print, and its teaching methodologies rely on rote systems of learning with little scope for research, innovation and dialogue. The private sector has no choice but to be selective with pressure mounting due to the future accession to the WTO.

We are at a point in time in history, where only the competent will survive. And only those who have had extensive training and preparation can deal with oncoming changes. If we keep on allowing this phenomenon to pile up, then we would have definitely pioneered in creating an airtight recipe for “sustainable unemployment.”

(Fatin Bundagji is director, women empowerment and research at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.)