Arab World: Job Losses on the Way?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

With news headlines spelling out economic doom as governments, companies and individuals continue to tighten their belts, bloggers across the Arab world jump on the bandwagon and ask: “Are job layoffs coming our way?”
In Saudi Arabia, Nzingha writes about how a relative lost her job after the company she worked with “went under.” She explains:
My sister in law, the widow with three children, took on a job a few months back. She worked over the phone selling car insurance and was quite happy with her job and the extra income it brought into the home. Being a widow whose husband worked for the government she receives a 1500 SR pension a month. That is 374 USD and less than the bike that I just had to pay for. 1500 SR is not sufficient enough of an income to live off of, especially if you have three growing children to raise.
Notice I used the past tense to describe her employment status for as of now she doesn't work. She, along with the others in the company, were all fired because the company went under. She was given a couple of weeks notice and that was the end of it. Many women around the world can relate to her story, working one day and given notice the next especially when you consider the economic world crisis. However as a woman in Saudi her work opportunities are extremely limited unlike many companies in the world and this is due to the fact that she is a woman.
From the UAE, The Grapeshisha Blog links to a CNN Video discussing the economic crisis’ impact on Dubai and notes:
If you are listening correctly, 8% reduction in population, means something – less jobs…in some industries.
WebJunky comments on the post saying:
quite frankly i am expecting unemployment to hit double digits very soon. dubai will continue to fall for at least 6-12 months before showing any signs of rebound. market in way overvalued in that region right now
Jordanian Moey, who works and lives in Kuwait, links to the same video and asks:
Should we expect anything in Kuwait?
And reader The M Code answers him:
We shouldn’t expect anything anywhere, It’s a global economic crisis but people are watching Dubai as it crashes because they were watching it as it was rising. It will hopefully get back on it’s feet one day. They are the pride and home for many Arabs from around the world, I wish them all the best.
At the UAE community blog, Sarcastic Guy has the following announcement to make:
Three prominent Dubai businessmen confessed.. err.. confirmed that the market situation in Dubai is extremely positive and all rumors about a weak economy and a weaker outlook are just propaganda. The Chinese, British and Indian businessmen affirmed their enthusiasm for the opportunities in Dubai while a friendly government official hovered around to ensure their safety.
The sarcastic tone of this post is not lost on readers, who post their comments here.
Job cuts in Dubai are also the topic of this post, by Shamsi, at Dubai Metblogs.