Search results

Tehran will flounder over COVID-19’s economic impact

Location:

IRAN

Facing the region’s largest coronavirus outbreak, the authorities belatedly closed schools, banned all religious and social gatherings and asked people to stay indoors. However…

Saudi tourism sector set for rapid expansion

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

The kingdom's Vision 2030 strategy identifies tourism as one of the sectors key to plans to diversify the economy away from oil. Saudi Arabia aims to develop the underdeveloped…

Workforce localisation will accelerate in Saudi Arabia

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

However, more than half of employed Saudis work in the public sector, with their pay absorbing about 45% of the state budget. Increased employment of Saudi nationals in…

The sluggish Emirati economy faces new challenges

Location:

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

This partly reflects the February 16 decision of DP World to delist its shares, which dominated the Nasdaq Dubai, but also comes amid other troubling recent economic developments…

Israel will balance new COVID-19 rules against growth

Location:

ISRAEL

Although the number of new cases has exceeded previous peaks, serious cases have not grown proportionately. Despite earlier warnings, the capacity of the country’s hospitals has…

Saudi women's employment will boost global image

Location:

SAUDI ARABIA

In April, the Saudi defence ministry announced employment opportunities for women as well as men. These developments reflect the government’s efforts to increase women’s…

Egypt tourism sector will grow, dependent on security

Location:

EGYPT

Mashat emphasised the importance of the event in the context of Cairo's recent initiatives to boost the tourism industry, long a pillar of the economy. Last November, the Ministry…

African economies face rising risks from reshoring

Location:

AFRICA

As the need for cheap and low-skilled labour falls, wage differentials between Africa and other regions will cease to be a major draw for multinational firms and foreign…

Bahrain’s new premier faces difficult fiscal choices

Location:

BAHRAIN

Manama is seeking multiple means to adjust to the impact of the pandemic, publishing a two-year budget in November that targets a steady decline in the fiscal deficit. Although…

Securitised Middle East COVID-19 responses raise risks

Location:

MIDDLE EAST

The pandemic has compounded existing economic and political crises in Beirut and Baghdad, with the securitisation of the response straining military and state legitimacy…