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Labor Force Participation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) Is Low

• Overall, just 38 percent of adults age 15 and older participate in the KRI labor force, with very low female participation driving the overall rate. This percentage is essentially the same in Jordan but is significantly lower in Turkey (~50 percent) and Egypt (~48 percent). Nearly 66 percent of men 15 years and older are in the labor force. However, only about 38 percent of males aged 15–24 are in the labor force, largely because many are still studying. Only about 6 percent of female youth participate.

The Unemployment Rate Compares Favorably with Most of the Middle East

• At 7.4 percent, the unemployment rate is not low but compares favorably with most countries of the Middle East region. The rate differs significantly between men (5.0 percent) and women (19.9 percent).
• Youth unemployment (ages 15–24) in the KRI is 17.6 percent, significantly higher than for the entire labor force. However, as with unemployment overall, youth unemployment in the KRI is among the lowest in the region. In the KRI, the unemployment rate for female youth is very high, at 48.9 percent, compared to 12.8 percent for young men.
• Public sector employment plays a dominant role in the economy, accounting for about half of all jobs. 51.4 percent of employment in the KRI can be characterized as being in the formal sector. The vast majority of working women are in the formal sector, almost all in the public sector.

Comprehensive and reliable statistics are crucial for designing economic policies. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq lacks the statistics it needs to improve infrastructure, encourage private-sector development, attract foreign investment, and create sustained economic growth. The Kurdistan Region Statistics Office needs to build capacity to collect the data. RAND worked closely with the office and in consultation with relevant ministries to build capacity by preparing, conducting, and analyzing the first round of a survey of the region's labor force critical to government policymaking. RAND provided overall guidance and both analytical and hands-on training to organization staff. Further, by being involved in the complete life cycle of the survey, from conception through data collection to policy analysis, and by being responsible for the final execution and analysis of the surveys, that staff benefited from learning by doing. Future rounds of the survey will provide up-to-date information on how these and other important indicators are changing over time and in response to policies.

• Chapter One

  Introduction

• Chapter Two

  Sampling Design

• Chapter Three

  Questionnaire Design

• Chapter Four

  Data Collection, Cleaning, and Validation

• Chapter Five

  Analysis and Results

• Chapter Six

  Recommendations for an Enterprise Survey

• Chapter Seven

  Conclusions and Next Steps

• Appendix A

  Sampling Design

• Appendix B

  Rotation Scheme for the KRLFS

• Appendix C

  Kurdistan Region Labor Force Survey Questionnaire

• Appendix D

  Public Reporting Template

• Appendix E

  Sampling Workshop

• Appendix F

  Questionnaire Design Workshop

• Appendix G

  Data Collection and Entry Workshop

• Appendix H

  Data Cleaning Workshop

• Appendix I

  Labor Market Concepts Workshop

• Appendix J

  Statistical Analysis Workshop