Social media key to Arab youth empowerment: report
Policy makers call for potential to be tapped to aid new entrepreneurial generation
His Excellency Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, UAE Minister of Labour, urged companies to make better use of social media.
The Governance and Innovation Programme of the Dubai School of Government (DSG), under the patronage of His Excellency Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash, UAE Minister of Labour, today announced the findings of an eight-nation survey on shifting attitudes towards social media in the Arab world.
DSG conducted the study in collaboration with SAP MENA, polling 5,000 respondents from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Lebanon, Oman, Egypt and Jordan.
"I congratulate the Dubai School of Government for this research conducted with SAP MENA, which will open the debate on how to create more opportunities for Arab youth," said His Excellency.
"This research will help the new Arab generation who are getting involved in new projects. It will help them discover opportunities for jobs across all sectors and will also help companies to better use social media in the hiring of college graduates, thereby transferring its usage from the political to the economic sphere."
The results revealed major shifts in social media usage, particularly in areas of self-promotion and employment. Nearly 80% of those polled said they believed the online communities were indispensable in helping them find employment, while 71% said they would use the technology to find their next job.
In the workplace most felt the networks were a boon, agreeing that they inspired innovation, promoted trust among the workforce and allowed more effective communication with customers.
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