Ya Libnan

47 % of Syrian Refugees are workers competing with Lebanese for jobs

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Many Syrian doctors and nurses are illegally working in Lebanon in a clear violation of the law, which bans the practice of such professions by non-Lebanese.
Many Syrian doctors and nurses are illegally working in Lebanon in a clear violation of the law, which bans the practice of such professions by non-Lebanese.
Syrian refugees are entering Lebanon to benefit from humanitarian aid and employment and not because they’re fleeing the war, Lebanese Labor Minister Sajaan Qazzi said.

Of the 1.6 million Syrian refugees, 47 percent are workers competing with the Lebanese for jobs, Qazzi said in a telephone interview yesterday. He said Syrians who have long worked as laborers in Lebanon are now taking jobs that under the law only Lebanese should hold, such as engineers, medics and accountants. Companies hire them for less money and avoid paying social security and severance pay, Qazzi added.

Qazzi is the latest Lebanese official to voice concern over unregulated refugees that are straining economic resources and fragile infrastructure in the country of 4.5 million people.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said last month Lebanon needs support with the refugee issue to “prevent the collapse of the economic structure.” Unemployment has exceeded 20 percent, partly because of cheaper Syrian labor, Economy Minister Alain Hakim said in a May 28 interview. Refugees are costing $100 million a month in electricity consumption, Qazzi said.

Unlike Turkey and Jordan, Lebanon hasn’t created formal camps for Syrian refugees on concerns they would heighten sectarian tensions already inflamed by the war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and mostly Sunni rebels. Shiites, Sunnis and Christians each make up roughly a third of the Lebanese population, and the country fought its own sectarian civil war from 1975 to 1990.

Syrian refugees set up 1,720 informal residential centers across the country, 400 of them in poor villages where there is daily friction between them and the local residents, said Qazzi.

“The influx of Syrians has become more of an immigration than a displacement,” Qazzi said, comparing it to Lebanese who seek jobs overseas.

Lebanon already houses 455,000 mostly Sunni Palestinians in 12 refugee camps, and the majority of Syrian refugees are Sunni.

Since battle lines are now more clearly demarcated in Syria, where a three-year civil war is raging, pro-regime refugees can go to government-held regions and the rest to areas controlled by the opposition, Qazzi said.

“Lebanon cannot put up with this situation for long,” he added.

Bloomberg

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14 responses to “47 % of Syrian Refugees are workers competing with Lebanese for jobs”

  1. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    Hospital dropped the Lebanese Doctor’s wages 70% last year.
    In Tripoli, they had to pull out 5x the bullets. Might as well go work for Doctors without Borders.
    Better pay, and more satisfying work – since a lot of bullets are pulled from idiots who just go back out to shoot more people – which pisses off a doctor, who actually wants to help people.
    Some ‘hang in’ to help the 5-yr-olds with lead in them, if it hasn’t killed them.

    1. nagy_michael2 Avatar
      nagy_michael2

      As much as I don’t like the orangistas I agree with them to build camps but should be at the Syrian borders not ours. this way we only allow who is not going to cause us problems. But the Syrian Chemical Ali the wise duke of the Syrian Consulate refused and said they can go back to Syria.. well why didn’t you tell that to the Turks and Jordanian then? if they go back to syria we all know what will happen to them. this is not fair to Lebanon no matter what.. For now those syrians who are benefitting from being refugees then give the benefits to unemployed Lebanese. only fair..

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        ALL the poor should have a soup-kitchen, and some relief … NOT only the refugees.
        Relief from ducking bullets would be nice too.

  2. Reasonableman Avatar
    Reasonableman

    Im in lebanon at the moment, you should see ATM’s with queues which go beyond 10 metres with syrian duals and syrian nationals all lining up to collect 800$ a month.
    Time to start culling the good lebanese and the good syrian people (who do not lie to recieve this aid) are suffering. Ontop of this aid they are working and competing against the lebanese for work.

    Is this what bashar wanted? To take over lebanon not by way of invasion but by way of humanitairian aid?

    1. .... Avatar
      ….

      I wish you a safe and happy visit Reasonable, please think of me if you eat any knafey 🙂

      1. Reasonableman Avatar
        Reasonableman

        Thankyou geo for your kind words. Knafe is banging especially with cheese.

    2. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Yes. He did it before.

      Good On You, Reasonable.

      1. Reasonableman Avatar
        Reasonableman

        Thankyou 5th, the foreseeable future looks dim. People are fasting and fed up

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