ManpowerGroup Advocates For Unlocking Potential of Women And Youth in the Middle East

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In the first of two roles in the weekend's public and private programs, David Arkless, ManpowerGroup's President of Corporate and Government Affairs, led a panel entitled "Driving Gains in Education" and was joined by the following influential leaders: Mhammed Abbad Andaloussi, Founder, Al Jisr; Morocco Omar Fahoum, Chairman and CEO of Deloitte Middle East; Hilal Lashuel, Associate Professor of the Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL); and H.E. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Ali Al Thani, VP Education, Qatar Foundation, and Chairman, World Innovation Summit for Education, Qatar.

"The Arab world has experienced a period of enormous change and transformation," Arkless said. "We saw first-hand the determination and potential of young people to fight for change. Now, the focus must be on building security and stability in the region with a thriving economy and job creation. Young people must shape the future of the Middle East and North Africa, but we need to provide them with the right investment, education and training."

The International Monetary Fund projected the Middle East economy would expand by 4.4 percent in 2012, however, unrest has prompted an exodus of workers – shrinking the talent pool.  

This weekend, Arkless also led a private session organized by the Aspen Institute's Emirates-Aspen Partnership, entitled "Women's Entrepreneurship as a Driver of Economic Growth in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) Region." Speakers included: The Honorable Madeleine K. Albright, Chair of the  Albright Stonebridge Group and Chair of Partners for a New Beginning (PNB); Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca Cola Co., Co-Chair of WEF MENA 2011 and Vice-Chair of Partners for a New Beginning (PNB); Soraya Salti, SVP of the Middle East and North Africa, INJAZ Al Ara, and Co-Chair WEF MENA 2011; Ferruh Gurtas, Director of Corporate Affairs for MENA, Turkey and Africa of Intel Corp.; Arvind Sodhani, EVP of Intel Corp. and President of Intel Capital; and Tae Yoo, SVP of Corporate Affairs of Cisco Systems.

"As the Middle East is evolving rapidly, a new future is emerging with women as a vital contributor to the region's future," Arkless said. "It is our duty to remove the barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential. A combination of cultural perceptions, a lack of legislation and social programs and outdated stereotypes are all preventing women from fulfilling their true potential. The recent transformation in the Middle East-North Africa region has shown the creativity, passion and determination of women. We have seen women move from the sidelines to center stage in campaigning for change, and we must now allow them to enable a new dawn of regional growth and opportunity."

Key leaders at WEF-Jordan reinforced how talentism is the new capitalism in the Human Age, a critical principle launched by ManpowerGroup at the 41st WEF Annual Meeting in 2011, held in Davos last January. Professor Klaus Schwab, WEF Founder and Executive Chairman, explained this weekend how job creation requires education changes that will encourage more entrepreneurship and risk-taking. As the new world takes shape, it will rely more on talent and less on capital, said Schwab, who has advocated for talentism at several WEF events in 2011, including the recent WEF on East Asia, held in Jakarta.

The unemployment rate in the MENA region is double the world's average. One of four persons, age 15-24 years is unemployed, while only one of five women of working age is employed. Research from the World Bank, United Nations, and Goldman Sachs illustrates how gender equality helps reduce poverty and ensure sustainable growth. Regional statistics show that if rates of female participation in the labor force increased from their actual levels to predicted levels, average household earnings would increase by as much as 25 percent. The potential of women to accelerate growth in the region must not be underestimated.

"The region's success is jointly in the hands of policy-makers, business leaders and educational institutions," Arkless added. "We need real collaboration across all sectors, as it is our duty to provide women and young workers with the right tools to create sustainable employment."

About ManpowerGroup

ManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,900 offices in over 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined – because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com.

ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, being the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2011 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility. In addition, ManpowerGroup has also been recognized as the industry leader by Fortune magazine, who named the company in first place on its 2011 list of the Most Admired Companies in the temporary help sector.

In January 2011, at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ManpowerGroup announced the world has entered the Human Age, where talent has replaced capital as the key competitive differentiator. Learn more about this new age at www.manpowergroup.com/humanage

Gain access to ManpowerGroup's extensive thought leadership papers, annual Talent Shortage surveys and the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, one of the most trusted indices of employment activity in the world, via the ManpowerGroup World of Work Insight iPad application. This thought leadership app explores the challenges faced by employers navigating the changing world of work and provides in-depth commentary, analysis, insight and advice on strategies for success.  

Follow ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO Jeff Joerres on Twitter: twitter.com/manpowergroupjj. Joerres is one of only six Fortune 500 CEOs who leverages a Twitter account to get his message out.

SOURCE ManpowerGroup