Algerian president: 73% of unemployed are young people under 30

Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, on Tuesday told delegates to the annual conference of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva, that "globalization moves forward quickly, creating great fear all over the world." Referring to the "globalization trap" and a general "lack of work", the Algerian leader called for decent work for all to give "globalization its indispensable human dimension".

Speaking before more than 3,000 delegates from all over the world, Bouteflika also called for a "humane and modern" model for development.

In his speech, the President also referred to the Algerian experience with democracy and employment. According to the President, his country's strategy includes fighting unemployment, particularly among youth: "Youth unemployment is a critical challenge for Algeria because more than 73 per cent of the 1.7 million unemployed in the country are young people under 30…. and some 11 million people or 34.5 per cent of the 32 million Algerians are younger than 16".

To fight youth unemployment in Algeria, the government has launched an integrated policy based on multi-level training activities and economic growth stimulating and enabling job creation and employment. According to the President, the promotion of youth employment through the creation of micro-enterprises, microcredit programmes, pre-employment contracts, rural development programmes and temporary employment schemes have shown good results.

"In Algeria, the life expectancy of the population has risen from 72 to 74 over the last six years; poverty based on the assessment of the number of people living on one dollar per day and per person, fell from 3 per cent to less than 1 per cent; the guaranteed minimum wage rose by 80 per cent and the unemployment rate was reduced from more than 30 to 17.7 per cent according to the criteria of the ILO", Mr. Bouteflika told the assembly.