‘We remain without work’ - Thousands of Iraqi graduates protest in Baghdad
Key Takeaways
- Mass protests: Thousands of graduates march through Baghdad demanding government employment.
- Unfulfilled directive: A September government instruction to allocate jobs has yet to produce appointments.
- Unemployment concerns: Iraq recorded 13% unemployment in 2025, with youth unemployment reaching 32%.
Graduates who have waited years for employment demand government appointments and inclusion in Iraq's 2027 federal budget despite earlier promises to create jobs.
"It is unreasonable for us to be older graduates, while our country has all this goodness and wealth, and yet we remain without work. What is different here from the rest of the countries?"
That was the frustration expressed by Mustafa Qasim, one of thousands of unemployed graduates who took to the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday to demand government jobs.
Qasim, who obtained bachelor's degrees in law and agriculture 20 years ago, joined demonstrators calling for employment opportunities and the inclusion of long-waiting graduates in Iraq's 2027 federal budget.
Large crowds marched through the Iraqi capital, with some reportedly gathering near entrances to the heavily secured Green Zone.
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The protesters included holders of advanced degrees and graduates who have spent years searching for government employment.
Ayat Abdul Hamid, who earned a bachelor's degree in archaeology in 2017, said some demonstrators had completed their education eight or ten years earlier.
She also highlighted the situation of "people born in the 1980s who are facing their last opportunity for appointment."
In Iraq, such job seekers are commonly described as 'older graduates', referring to people who completed their studies years ago but remain without government employment.
According to local media, tens of thousands of Iraqis fall into this category.
The latest demonstration followed similar protests last month, despite a government directive intended to address the employment concerns.
On September 7, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi instructed the Ministry of Finance to include government jobs or contract positions for long-waiting graduates in the draft federal budget.
The proposed appointments were to be based on the staffing requirements of individual ministries. However, the directive has yet to produce jobs for the protesters.
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Iraq's unemployment challenges have also been linked to the country's dependence on oil revenue and differences between graduates' qualifications and labour market requirements.
According to the Ministry of Planning, Iraq recorded an unemployment rate of 13 percent in 2025.
World Bank figures also showed that unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24 reached 32 percent during the same year.
Despite its substantial natural resources, Iraq continues to face economic difficulties following successive wars.
The Central Bank of Iraq said on Tuesday that oil generates more than 93 percent of government revenue, exposing the economy to changes in international oil prices and regional crises.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
