Afghan job crisis: why the fight against terrorism is the wrong motivator --- Ten years after the fall of the Taliban and approximately $65bn (£40bn) in military and civilian aid, Afghanistan still lacks the most fundamental source of sustainable poverty reduction: decent employment. To date, there is no national labour force survey, employment strategy or youth employment strategy. Afghanistan made great progress in education – girls and boys have been enrolled in unprecedented numbers – only to find themselves unemployed upon graduation. --- Afghanistan's latest National risk and vulnerability assessment 2007/2008 shows youth unemployment rates of 10% for young men and 15% for young women. These relatively moderate figures mask high levels of underemployment, working poverty and generally low quality of work. The study found that 90% of jobs in Afghanistan can be classified as vulnerable employment. This begs the question of whether the distinction between employed and unemployed is helpful in the Afghanistan context. - More, Guardian