Fourteen thousand new public posts amidst skepticism of Finance and Economy

The Lebanese Cabinet is expected to approve some 14 thousand new jobs in the public sector, particularly in the military and security departments, within the 2015 budget, L’Orient Le Jour daily reported in its Monday issue. These proposed job additions are still under discussion within the Council of Ministers, include 11 thousand jobs in the Army and the Security apparatus. The newspaper pointed out that this new wave of recruitment will result in a 5.5% increase in total public expenditure, which will shoot up to LBP 7100 billion ($4.7billion). In this respect, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil who drafted the budget expressed his regret over the projected increase, noting that it is unusual for the Cabinet to pass such an act which involves the recruitment of 14 thousand people. However, he said, “security considerations could justify the enlistment of military personnel”, but, he added, “We should expect an unwanted direct impact on the public finance.” Likewise, a source close to the Ministry of Economy voiced concerns over the move especially in the absence of a clear strategy for increasing revenues, and wondered if enhancing the capacity and competence of the public administration or the security forces can only be achieved through the recruitment of more personnel. The source went on to say that the new recruitments will result in additional allocations for pension and end of service compensation, which then are bound to surge by 13% this year to reach LBP 2200 billion.
The main new planned jobs and needed funds are the following:
Army: 5000 soldiers costing LBP 72.8 billion in salaries
Security Forces: 4000 civil servants and LBP 58.8 billion
General Security: 1000 civil servants and LBP 15.6 billion
State Security: 500 civil servants and LBP 7.92 billion
Lebanese University: 1213 professor and LBP 52.6 billion
Ministry of Justice: Appointment of 48 judges, recruitment of 534 personnel, and 6 judges and 7 personnel in State ‘Shoura’ Council
Customs Directorate: 413 civil servants and LBP 4.9 billion
Civil Defense Department: 2500 personnel and LBP 42.36 billion.
(L’Orient Le Jour, 25 May 2015)