Includes bibliographical references.

Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgment -- Abbreviations -- Main messages -- Executive summary -- Overview -- Labor markets in the Middle East and North Africa : a low-productivity equilibrium -- Inefficient and inequitable labor markets : a low-productivity equilibrium -- Women, youth, and the working poor suffer most from the low productivity equilibrium -- Where are the barriers? -- A long-term view of MENA's economies and labor markets -- The dynamics of the private sector based on privileges rather than competition -- An institutional framework that reinforces the status quo -- Unemployable and unemployed : skills gaps and a meritocracy deficit in MENA -- What are possible policy options? -- Aligning incentives to invest, innovate, and generate employment -- Regulatory framework of the labor market : overcoming segmentation -- Education and training systems : realigning incentives for skills that matter and making employability count -- The road ahead -- The political economy of inclusion -- Appendix: Main data sources.

Description based on print version record.