Graduates from several cities in the Kurdistan Region protested against unemployment on Tuesday (January 14).
Graduates in the cities of Sulaimani, Erbil, Kalar, Said Sadiq, and Chamchamal took to the streets to call for employment and job opportunities.
There are an estimated 150,000 unemployed people in the Region who hold higher education degrees. During the financial crisis that started in 2014, government ministries severely cut back on hiring, leaving many without a source of income.
With economic improvement over the last two years, pressure on the government to relax its austerity regime and begin hiring qualified candidates has increased.