Unemployment Research
2011 AUC Annual Research Conference Social Justice: Theory, Research and Practice
Unemployment Research A Community Asset Based Approach By Amina Abdel-Meguid Rana El Ghazaly Tribute to our PSYCH-330 Class Members Fall 2010
List of Main Contributors Students • Akilah Abdul-Rahman • Allia Shahin • Amina Abdel Meguid • Büşra Todil • Deena Abdelmonem • Eathar Abu El Nasr • Farida Amin • Hassan Daoud • Iman Shaltout • Laila Gohar • Lamees Abaza • Lina El-Nadi • Malak Saleh
• Mary Wygle • Nadia Leyla Ahmed • Nasr Kadry • Natalie Ayoub • Nesma Sabrah • Rana Ghazaly • Sahr Khan • Salma Mohamed • Tia Abdel-Malek • Vincent Ganzon • Yasmine Orabi AYB • Radwa Khairy • Mohamed El Kamel
Clarification Most information used in this presentation is based on the following report: Community Psychology Students AUC, AYB Team (2010). Understanding Employment Problem in Egypt. Unpublished Final Report, Sociology Anthropology Psychology Egyptology Department , The American University in Cairo, Egypt.
Jan Kregel “The fundamental development is not to create wealth itself, but to create the capacity to create wealth.”
Research Project (Collaboration PSYCH330 Class and AYB) Finishing a pilot study that can help define and distinguish between:
• Different causes of unemployment of residents living in underprivileged areas of Cairo (esp. Dar El Salam, Ayn Al Sira, Al Gayara and Ezbet Abu Qarn) • Recognize their behavioral patterns and their employment preferences.
Objective of Research Using the findings, AYB would : - Employment training programs - Job search services that they provided to the community
Research Strategy and Design • Class would create a survey, that would act as a structured interview.
• Research Strategy: Phase I, Phase II, Phase III
Logistics and Coordination Team Building: Based upon a skills survey distributed and gathered by Prof. Dr. Mona Amer in the first week of classes.
Coordination between teams : Prof.Dr. Mona Amer and her two assistants Heba Azzam and Yasmine Khalifa set up a PBworks file online.
PHASE I Background Research Literature Review, Interviewing Experts, Focus Group Conducting, AYB Training Review
Background Research on Unemployment in Egypt Egypt rates 112th in the World in Unemployment According to the 2008-2009 Global Competitiveness Index,Egypt places: 125 in Macroeconomic Instability 134 in Labor Market Efficiency Out of 134 Countries
More… A report from the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies : Every year during 1988-1998 there were 88,000 unemployed workers left as a deficit, even after the increase in job openings in the labor force.
Imbalance between people’s qualifications and the demands of the labor market. The current educational system leaves workers unprepared for the demands of the labor market. 55% of intermediate-educated unemployed people are only needed for about 4% of the employment sector (Radwan, 2002).
Expert Interviews Group had three students. Experts were interviewed by two people each for one hour session. 7 AUC professors in Sociology , Psychology and Public Administration and Political Science + Director of the John D. Gerhart Center for Philantrophy and Civic Engagement + Member of the Arab Organization for Human Rights
Findings Unemployment was due to the inaccessibility and lack of resources in Egypt in general. Unemployment of women : Caused by gender stratification and unequal pay in addition to the patriarchal culture, and the pertaining social pressure towards women to marry young, are contributing factors.
Experts’ Advice Experts advised that providing people with the suitable employment skills training, would be a solution to the problem, and directed the attention of interviewers to potential survey questions.
Focus Group • Conducted four focus group sessions • Interviewed different groups of unemployed people from the four squatter areas .Groups had 6-8 members • One Success Group : 2 members only • AYB offices were used to conduct the focus groups and an AYB representative was always present during the meetings. The participants were from both genders, all age ranges, ranging from the illiterate to the college graduates.
Findings Geographical Proximity + Friendly Work Environment + Respectable Treatment = HIGH IMPORTANCE TO PARTICIPANTS
The people with success stories showed persistence and goal orientation, with an outlook towards the future and patience. They took jobs with little salaries to gain experience, then moved along the success ladder until reaching stable well paid jobs with fringe benefits.
Rates of satisfactory salaries differed from one area to another: Area
Min. Expectation of Salary
Ain Al Seera
1000 LE
Dar Al Salam
600-700 LE
AYB Training Overview
PHASE II
Survey Development
Survey Development Five Group Members Based Survey on Phase I Data Besides information about employment and employment preferences a Depression Scale was added Also a section asking interviewees about their personal values and opinions was added. A religiosity scale was added. Subjects were asked about whether they were for or against child labor.
Content Meetings with AYB Piloting on Class Members and Community Formulation of Questions from English to Colloquial Arabic
PHASE III
Distribution of the Survey in Squatter areas + Data Entry
Assets Used • Using AYB Rapport, being accompanied by AYB Representative • These assets included using male and female participants so as to overcome cultural obstacles • Asking positive questions to bring out people’s confidence in themselves first
Employed 87%
Unemployed Results 16%
• Ages range of respondents : 18 to 65 years Average : 35 years • 34.5% had completed High School • 79.4% interviewed were men. • Majority of sample were married 66.7% • Total of 66.1% of those asked had children.
Grading Policy of Research • Each student was assigned 10-15 hours of community work (incl. community visit ) • Content • Evaluation Forms to each member of class to evaluate overall team, and team members individually
Thank you Any questions?
Unemployment Research A Community Asset Based Approach By Amina Abdel-Meguid Rana El Ghazaly Tribute to our PSYCH-330 Class Members Fall 2010
List of Main Contributors Students • Akilah Abdul-Rahman • Allia Shahin • Amina Abdel Meguid • Büşra Todil • Deena Abdelmonem • Eathar Abu El Nasr • Farida Amin • Hassan Daoud • Iman Shaltout • Laila Gohar • Lamees Abaza • Lina El-Nadi • Malak Saleh
• Mary Wygle • Nadia Leyla Ahmed • Nasr Kadry • Natalie Ayoub • Nesma Sabrah • Rana Ghazaly • Sahr Khan • Salma Mohamed • Tia Abdel-Malek • Vincent Ganzon • Yasmine Orabi AYB • Radwa Khairy • Mohamed El Kamel
Clarification Most information used in this presentation is based on the following report: Community Psychology Students AUC, AYB Team (2010). Understanding Employment Problem in Egypt. Unpublished Final Report, Sociology Anthropology Psychology Egyptology Department , The American University in Cairo, Egypt.
Jan Kregel “The fundamental development is not to create wealth itself, but to create the capacity to create wealth.”
Research Project (Collaboration PSYCH330 Class and AYB) Finishing a pilot study that can help define and distinguish between:
• Different causes of unemployment of residents living in underprivileged areas of Cairo (esp. Dar El Salam, Ayn Al Sira, Al Gayara and Ezbet Abu Qarn) • Recognize their behavioral patterns and their employment preferences.
Objective of Research Using the findings, AYB would : - Employment training programs - Job search services that they provided to the community
Research Strategy and Design • Class would create a survey, that would act as a structured interview.
• Research Strategy: Phase I, Phase II, Phase III
Logistics and Coordination Team Building: Based upon a skills survey distributed and gathered by Prof. Dr. Mona Amer in the first week of classes.
Coordination between teams : Prof.Dr. Mona Amer and her two assistants Heba Azzam and Yasmine Khalifa set up a PBworks file online.
PHASE I Background Research Literature Review, Interviewing Experts, Focus Group Conducting, AYB Training Review
Background Research on Unemployment in Egypt Egypt rates 112th in the World in Unemployment According to the 2008-2009 Global Competitiveness Index,Egypt places: 125 in Macroeconomic Instability 134 in Labor Market Efficiency Out of 134 Countries
More… A report from the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies : Every year during 1988-1998 there were 88,000 unemployed workers left as a deficit, even after the increase in job openings in the labor force.
Imbalance between people’s qualifications and the demands of the labor market. The current educational system leaves workers unprepared for the demands of the labor market. 55% of intermediate-educated unemployed people are only needed for about 4% of the employment sector (Radwan, 2002).
Expert Interviews Group had three students. Experts were interviewed by two people each for one hour session. 7 AUC professors in Sociology , Psychology and Public Administration and Political Science + Director of the John D. Gerhart Center for Philantrophy and Civic Engagement + Member of the Arab Organization for Human Rights
Findings Unemployment was due to the inaccessibility and lack of resources in Egypt in general. Unemployment of women : Caused by gender stratification and unequal pay in addition to the patriarchal culture, and the pertaining social pressure towards women to marry young, are contributing factors.
Experts’ Advice Experts advised that providing people with the suitable employment skills training, would be a solution to the problem, and directed the attention of interviewers to potential survey questions.
Focus Group • Conducted four focus group sessions • Interviewed different groups of unemployed people from the four squatter areas .Groups had 6-8 members • One Success Group : 2 members only • AYB offices were used to conduct the focus groups and an AYB representative was always present during the meetings. The participants were from both genders, all age ranges, ranging from the illiterate to the college graduates.
Findings Geographical Proximity + Friendly Work Environment + Respectable Treatment = HIGH IMPORTANCE TO PARTICIPANTS
The people with success stories showed persistence and goal orientation, with an outlook towards the future and patience. They took jobs with little salaries to gain experience, then moved along the success ladder until reaching stable well paid jobs with fringe benefits.
Rates of satisfactory salaries differed from one area to another: Area
Min. Expectation of Salary
Ain Al Seera
1000 LE
Dar Al Salam
600-700 LE
AYB Training Overview
PHASE II
Survey Development
Survey Development Five Group Members Based Survey on Phase I Data Besides information about employment and employment preferences a Depression Scale was added Also a section asking interviewees about their personal values and opinions was added. A religiosity scale was added. Subjects were asked about whether they were for or against child labor.
Content Meetings with AYB Piloting on Class Members and Community Formulation of Questions from English to Colloquial Arabic
PHASE III
Distribution of the Survey in Squatter areas + Data Entry
Assets Used • Using AYB Rapport, being accompanied by AYB Representative • These assets included using male and female participants so as to overcome cultural obstacles • Asking positive questions to bring out people’s confidence in themselves first
Employed 87%
Unemployed Results 16%
• Ages range of respondents : 18 to 65 years Average : 35 years • 34.5% had completed High School • 79.4% interviewed were men. • Majority of sample were married 66.7% • Total of 66.1% of those asked had children.
Grading Policy of Research • Each student was assigned 10-15 hours of community work (incl. community visit ) • Content • Evaluation Forms to each member of class to evaluate overall team, and team members individually
Thank you Any questions?
