Project launched to improve employment
Plan would create new job market Alia Ibrahim
Daily Star staff
A project to improve employment practices in Lebanon by
revamping the Labor Ministry and the National Office for Employment was started Tuesday.
The project, which was funded by the European Union, aims at addressing employment
problems and helping public institutions create a job market compatible with the changes
that are to affect the Lebanese economy in the coming years.
Speaking during a news conference at the Labor Ministry, in the presence of both Labor
Minister Ali Qanso and Minister of State for Administrative Reform Fouad Saad, EU
Ambassador Patrick Renauld said that efficient recruitment is essential for the promotion
of a healthy economy.
“The practice of wasta and of nepotism, which are possible in the scope of a
protected economy, cannot function in a competitive economy,” Renauld said.
He went on to say that in the future it is going to be essential to have better evaluation
and better follow up on what is needed in the job market.
He also spoke about the importance of establishing an efficient and transparent exchange
of information between public agencies and job seekers.
Renauld said that the project will touch different domains, including legislation and
regulation, the promotion of employment, the protection of employees and restructuring of
both the ministry and the employment office.
The project will also include personnel training, computerization of public bureaucracies
and the amelioration of the conditions for the provision of work permits.
For his part, Saad spoke about the stages that led to the design of the project. He said
that a team from his ministry undertook a field study to identify the problems and
obstacles hindering the Labor Ministry and the National Employment Office from doing an
efficient job. The team found that the reform of both institutions is a must, he said.
Accordingly, a contract was signed with a consulting firm to design the project that will
improve the quality and pace of services provided by both institutions. The firm will
provide guidance and assistance in light of the changing economic and social situation in
Lebanon.
Saad said there is a conviction that the implementation of the team’s recommendations
is to a large extent linked to a stable political situation in the country and a
supportive Cabinet, aware of its responsibilities.
Qanso found it “surprising” that the administration had survived until now,
despite the “retarded” regulations and standards it depends on.
He spoke about the “riddle of the Lebanese” administration, in the absence of
scientific administrative reform, which he said citizens end up paying for. He called for
administrative reform, saying he is confident of the importance of political reform for
the improvement of the administration, but that “it doesn’t mean we have to wait
until that happens”.
“We talk a lot about unemployment, but every time someone speaks about promoting the
employment office, we become hesitant,” he said.
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