Stuck between an endless waitlist for a government job and a frail private sector, Iraqi entrepreneurs are taking on staggering unemployment by establishing their own start-ups.The first murmurs of this creative spirit were felt in 2013, but the Daesh group’s sweep across a third of the country the following year put many projects on hold.

Many self-starters begin their journey at an aptly named glass building in central Baghdad: The Station. “We’re trying to create a new generation with a different state of mind,” said executive director Haidar Hamzoz. “We want to tell youth that they can start their own project, achieve their dreams and not just be happy in a government job they didn’t even want.”

After graduating from university, many spend years waiting to be appointed to a job in the government, Iraq’s biggest employer. Four out of five jobs created in Iraq in recent years are in the public sector, according to the World Bank.

Source Credit: Saudi Gazette
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