[lbo-talk] Teaching the natives about how to find a job in Iraq

Stephen Philion philion at hawaii.edu
Wed Dec 10 04:38:43 PST 2003


This is too rich...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031210/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ir aq_job_fair&cid=540&ncid=1473 Few Jobs at Iraq's First Job Fair

Wed Dec 10, 1:55 AM ET

By NIKO PRICE, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nabil Skaria stood on stage in white shirtsleeves and asked the crowd of hundreds an opening question: "How many people here have heard of Procter & Gamble?"

Three hands went up.

It could be that Iraq (news - web sites), isolated from much of the world for more than a decade, isn't up to date in consumer news. It could also be that the P&G representative asked his question in English, a language few of the attendees seemed to understand.

But the awkward moment was indicative that the U.S.-led coalition's first job fair was something less than a rousing success. There were plenty of tips on resumes and interviews, but few of what people came looking for: jobs.

Iraq, where for decades the government has been the largest employer, is in the midst of an employment crisis. Since April, when factories and ministries were bombed or looted, unemployment has shot up to 70 percent. There are now some 12 million people without work.

Tuesday's job fair at the Baghdad Convention Center was billed as a beginning.

In an auditorium where former Saddam aides used to preside over conferences, human resources managers offered Powerpoint presentations with tips on how to impress with a resume (keep it concise) and in an interview (tell them you're a team player).

"Skills set," Spc. Tom Wirges, wearing desert camouflage, read from a checklist. "Risk taking. Collaboration. Solutions. Leadership. Capacity."

He told the audience: "Finding a job is a job in itself."

A few men in back lit up cigarettes. Souad Saleh and her daughter, Lina Ahmed, got up and left.

"We don't know English," Saleh said, saying she had hoped Ahmed, 23, could find work. "I'm afraid she won't find a suitable job here."

Ahmed, an out-of-work accountant, hasn't held a job since the war. Her mother said she would only consider a government job, because they traditionally include buses to pick up employees from their homes.

"We can't let her go for a private job because of the security situation," Saleh said.

And so the pair walked home dejectedly, saying the family of six will continue to survive on the income of Saleh, a widow who earns $45 a month as a hairdresser.

Several attendees listed safety issues as major impediments to finding jobs. Saef Mahmoud, wearing a black leather jacket and carefully greased hair, has a computer science degree but has yet to find work. He said he wouldn't feel safe accepting a job that wasn't near his house.

But he was more optimistic than Saleh. He said he thought he might find a job at the fair - "inshallah." God willing.

After two hours of speeches by companies and agencies including Procter & Gamble, Bechtel Corp. and the U.S. Agency for International Development, it was the moment of truth. Wirges announced that the presentations were over, and the employers' tables on stage were open for applications.

Hundreds of Iraqis desperate for work crowded around the four tables, snatching application forms and jostling for a piece of a company representative's ear.

The problem was, few of the employers had much employment to offer.

Procter & Gamble said it was just starting up in Iraq and it was too soon to talk about hiring. Bechtel said it might have 40 or 50 jobs, all in engineering. USAID said it would have 70 openings - in a few months.

"Right now, I have no chairs to put anyone in," said human resources manager Steve Eachus.

The one table that had plenty of work was Titan Corp., a military contractor hiring interpreters for the U.S. Army. Sgt. Karen Gucci of the 82nd Airborne, helping with the paperwork, said her division desperately needed about 250 people.

The job: to serve as an interpreter on patrols and at checkpoints west of Baghdad, in an area where patrols are routinely attacked and insurgents have targeted army "collaborators" with ruthless vengeance.

Ahmed Jassim al-Robaie stormed out in disgust. He is the owner of an Iraqi high-tech trading company who thought he was coming to sell Bechtel on a partnership, and he didn't see the point.

"This conference is a failure. They're only showing their products and marketing their products," he said. "Iraq has good trade and we're capable of trading. We should be giving courses to them."

But the master of ceremonies, Cpl. Jacek Orzo, wasn't fazed. He was looking beyond the current problem, to a time when he'll be back in Connecticut and Iraqis will be back on the job.

"With all the money coming into the country, you'd hope that there's enough of it around for people to get at least a taste of it," he said. "My prediction is that in 10 years we're going to see high-rises all around here."

"The opportunity's here," he added. "I guess it's survival of the fittest."

___

Niko Price is correspondent-at-large for The Associated Press.



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