Employability in the Cultural and Creative Sectors in Arab Mediterranean Countries: The cases of Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco

One of the main purposes of our study is to provide the conceptual and policy framework for understanding the creative economy, in order to identify major obstacles to employment and employability in the cultural and creative sectors in four Arab Mediterranean Countries [AMC]: Palestine, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. We aim to identify the main obstacles facing job creation in these sectors, and assess gaps between the supply of skills (by universities and training centers) and their demand (by the labor market).

To what extent are employment policies and Active Labor Market Programs [ALMP] in these countries capable of reducing the mismatch in these areas and supporting youth employability?

A preliminary study (literature review to collect data on the subject, including comparative studies for the four countries, etc.) allowed us to identify the main challenges of the cultural and creative sectors in AMC and to analyze the major characteristics of the labor market (section I). We conducted interviews with key-informants and stakeholders, by developing a single questionnaire (see appendix 1), in order to discuss the specific challenges of each of the four countries (sections II, III, IV and V). Thus, we tried to combine two complementary approaches in our methodology: analysis of key documents and investigation methods used in development projects. While trying to identify our key informants, we took into account the requirement to meet stakeholders from various backgrounds (including policy makers, cultural managers, artists…). Finally, five sets of recommendations are suggested according to the main issues and challenges facing employability:

1. Improving the attractiveness and the quality of VET
2. Better preparedness of higher education institutions in order to reduce the skill mismatch
3. The budget of ministries of culture should be increased and restructured
4. Need for better synergy between the local and the international scene
5. Better inclusive policies are needed for better jobs in the creative sector