On June 24, 2025, the Institute of Regional and International Studies (IRIS), working with the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), held a roundtable discussion titled “A Roadmap Towards Economic Recovery in Erbil and the Kurdistan Region.”
The event brought together experts from different parts of the Kurdistan Regional Government, along with independent researchers, university academics, NGOs, private sector representatives, and labor unions. Everyone came together to talk openly about the region’s growing financial problems and the sharp decline in public sector jobs, which has hit the labor market hard in Erbil and other areas.
The discussion focused on the current employment crisis and took a close look at the KRG’s existing policies and plans to deal with it. Participants questioned whether these strategies are working and what gaps still need to be addressed.
The roundtable offered a much-needed space to reflect on the region’s economic struggles and to ask an important question: is it possible to find a new, realistic path forward for economic recovery in the Kurdistan Region?
The full report can be read here.
, working with the Middle East Research Institute...){kind=link}