Qazzi Sounds Alarm over Unemployment among Lebanese
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi stressed on Thursday that Lebanon is imposing strict measures on Syrian laborers and not restrictions.
“The conditions are in line with the national resolutions that are linked to the organization of the work of foreign laborers and with the labor laws applied in all countries around the world,” Qazzi revealed in comments to the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.
He expressed fear over the impact of the Syrian workers on the Lebanese employment rate, noting that unemployment among Lebanese swelled since 2012 to reach a devastating 25 percent, where 36 percent of them are youth.
“The numbers are alarming,” Qazzi told the newspaper.
He pointed out that currently there are around 346,000 unemployed Lebanese due to the competition enforced by the Syrian workers.
Lebanon has been facing an explosion of social, economic and political tension due to the soaring numbers of Syrian refugees in the country..
Around 170,000 Lebanese are living below the poverty line.
There are now around 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Although Lebanese border officials began informally restricting the entry of Syrians last October, Beirut officially imposed visa regulations earlier this month on visiting Syrians. The move was the first such in decades.
H.K.
G.K.
14 May 2015, 15:25
42
(1).Mr Minister, the Syrians have taken all the jobs and occupations from us Lebanese, if not all, most of them. They are roaming the country as if it was theirs. They're renting shops, offices and houses as if the country was theirs. Lebanese EMPLOYERS too are as guilty in this as are the Syrian employees or would be employees. Then the other culprits are also the Lebanese, of whom a big number would rather not dirty their hands because they look at so many jobs as not cut for the Lebanese, they would rather go to the West, live under staircases, wash dishes, wash cars, clean toilets and other menial jobs rather than working here in Lebanon. But first things first, Syrians must NOT be allowed to open businesses in Lebanon, nor run buses, nor taxis nor trucks.
14 May 2015, 15:30
32
(2). The ministry should designate some menial jobs as we know them for Syrians and non-Lebanese, such as petty workers and other menial jobs in the building industry, other than that Syrians must be banned altogether. Masalan there's a growing trend in Syrians opening vegetable and fruit shops and there they employ only Syrians, now what the heck is this?! They sell literally at prices little different from our supermarkets and grocery stores, should they be allowed to continue, in due time our supermarkets too will begin to close their doors, losing us thousands of employment left to the Lebanese.
14 May 2015, 15:32
21
(3). We all know that both M8 and M14 are meddling in the Syrian presence for their own damn selfish ends, but if every ministry in Lebanon will become emasculated because of political party interference, then what's the use of having a country for God's sake? Right now we have a minister blaring the alarm trumpet, but in truth, can he go any further? Would he be allowed to do as he should? I doubt it, his red phones will ring and ultimately he could even be killed and we all know by whom too!! We have a lot of dangers lurking over our heads, and I am one who is now seriously proposing that the civilians go home and let the army take over, otherwise partition will become an attractive proposition.
