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IRI: Population waiting for employment from the state

Liberali reports that according to the new polling results of the International Republican Institute (IRI), 56% of respondents think the situation in the country is developing in the right direction, 22% think the opposite, while the 22% do not know.

47% of respondents named unemployment as the main problem in Georgia, 18% - occupied territories and 13% - the economic situation.

Moreover, the majority of the respondents believe that the Georgian Parliament should first of all work on the problem of unemployment, followed by healthcare and the economy.

On the question whether the ruling and oppositional teams should continue dialogue or not, 73% said “yes,” 13% - said “no,” while 14% - did not have the answer.

Majority of participants of the survey said they are afraid of war most of all, followed by the threat of confrontation and the problem related to the occupied territories.

41% of the respondents named the US as the main strategic partner for Georgia, and named Russia as the main political-economical threat, even though the majority of the interviewed people said they support Georgia to continue dialogue with Russia.

Over 4, 000 adults participated in IRI’s survey carried out in the second half of May.



The influence of higher education on employment

Liberali reports that according to the research carried out by the International Institute for Education Policy, Planning and Management (EPPM) higher education is an important factor for increasing income and employment in Georgia.

Researcher Tamar Bregvadze and Revaz Apkhazava said presenting the results of the survey that while considering the gender, age and place of living, the chances of a person with higher education compared to those who only have secondary education is double.

The report says that if a person has MA degree it does not considerably affect the amount of salary, while a person with an MA has a 70% more chance to be employed than a person with only a Bachelor's Degree.

The authors of the research said those within the vulnerable population still fail to access education.

The Institute worked out recommendations for the relevant institutions about the problems in the educational system. The representatives of EPPM say to improve the situation, an increase of the total income from the employment should be encouraged; the state expenses over the education should be rationalized considering the empirical data; the educational system should be matched to the market demand; and higher education should be accessible for the vulnerable population.

The survey has been carried out in the frames of the East-West Management Institute’s program called Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development Project in Georgia.