Muslim unemployment in Australia goes higher and likely to rise

CANBERRA. March 30. KAZINFORM According to Australian Associated Press, research showed on Monday Muslim people already suffer twice the unemployment rate of other workers in Queensland and the global economic crisis is likely to make matters worse.

"It is obvious that the current recession will have an enormous impact on the employment status of Muslims in Queensland, and the unemployment rate of Muslims will rise significantly," Queensland University of Technology researcher Dr Hossein Adibi said. Adibi has found that Muslims were disadvantaged due to four main factors: racism, discrimination, media bias and the lack of Muslim representation in decision-making bodies. The unemployment rates for some segments of the Muslim population, including women and young Muslims, may exceed 20 percent, Adibi said, adding that unemployment among Muslim women and young people was even worse than for men. The jobless rate in Queensland for February was 4.5 percent; Kazinform cites Xinhua.