* Arab News reported that “Lebanon’s middle class thins out as skilled professionals head for the exits”. The report highlights challenges faced by skilled professionals in Lebanon, as one cardiologist said “I started losing money because of the banking system, the corruption and a decline in income. Financially and professionally, I was doing worse than ever.” The report adds that the American University of Beirut’s Crisis Observatory said in 2021 that the current loss of talent will be difficult for Lebanon to overcome because it is the nation’s youth who are leaving. According to the results of an Arab Youth Opinion Survey published in 2020, about 77 percent of respondents in Lebanon said that they were thinking about emigrating, which is the highest percentage compared to any other Arab country.

* A recent report illustrates success stories of three young Syrian refugees in Turkey, as part of the opening of the Core Istanbul Business Hub. The report indicates that the Turkish economy suffers from unprecedented levels of inflation and unemployment issues, which have been affecting Syrian refugees worse, as they tend to work fast-food restaurants, sewing workshops, or Turkish factories. The report tells the stories of a young Syrian refugee who invented a mobile application for “charity lottery” and another whose textile production project has become well renowned globally. 

* The Jordan Islamic Bank contributed financially to supporting awareness campaigns “Towards Financially Educated Youth” implemented by the Central Bank of Jordan and in cooperation with Jordanian banks. This comes on the occasion of the Arab Financial Inclusion Day, which looks to enhance cultural and financial awareness among youth, with the aim of improving financial inclusion in Jordan, especially for young people.

* The Directorate of Labor in Sohag (Egypt) organized a training course for 40 young investors and graduates of vocational training centers. The training course focused on e-marketing, in cooperation with the Medium, Small, and Micro Enterprise Development Agency. It also looked to alleviate any obstacles related to licensing procedures or any other necessary procedures.

* The Algerian Minister of Energy Transition and Renewable Energies welcomed young entrepreneurs in the field of renewable energies to discuss their concerns. The statement by the ministry indicated that this meeting was held at the request of two young entrepreneurs in order to present their activities, their concerns, and the problems that this division suffers from, as well as to discuss accompanying the Ministry in the framework of generalizing the use of renewable energies. According to the same source, the minister expressed "his department's readiness to mobilize all means to accompany young entrepreneurs carrying projects in renewable energies that contribute to creating wealth and local jobs."

* The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Tourism launched a new program to equip 100,000 young Saudis with the key hospitality skills needed to pursue careers in the tourism sector. The program, named Tourism Trailblazers, will provide in-depth global experience to the tourism industry’s future leaders. The program aims to train 100,000 Saudis as the ministry’s continuous efforts after the launch of a new human capital development strategy in Saudi’s growing tourism industry, which aims to attract more Saudi nationals to the sector.