News

A new opinion poll released by bayt.com in collaboration with YouGov for research and consultation and entitled Career Aspirations in the Middle East and North Africa notes that 70% of the Lebanese believe that monthly salary is the key consideration for choosing a job, whereas 66% prioritise potentials for career advancement as a key consideration, and 28% prioritise the challenge offered by the job.

The data used in this opinion poll were gathered through online questionnaires that involved 7445 participants who responded online over a period stretching between 22 October and 5 November 2013.  Participants came from Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon.  Some 38% of the Lebanese respondents noted that their current job was their first whilst 11% said that they took their job because it offered a good salary.  Another 21% noted that they chose to work in the sector that they aspired to whilst 11% took their job because they were attracted by the brand name (good reputation) of their employer.
When asked about challenges to their career advancement, 47% of the respondents pointed out to the limited opportunities for advancement and 24% to poor management.

For more information about the survey, please review the following link: Career Aspirations in the Middle East and North Africa Survey
To be noted, bayt.com carried out an earlier opinion poll focusing on business entrepreneurship and which was administered online between 2 and 15 September of last year, published previously on WEEPortal on 18/11/2013, and entitled: "According to Bayt.com 77% of the Lebanese prefer to work in the private sector"

ILO is releasing today its new report entitled "Global Employment Trends 2014".  The report calls for a rapid transformation towards employment friendly policies aiming at increasing workers' income, strengthening economic growth and employment opportunities, consolidating social protection and encouraging a shift towards formal economies in the emerging as well as developed economies.  The report notes that global markets are still stumbling despite a clear but slow economic improvement.  In addition, the number of unemployed globally has increased in 2013 and reaching 202 million people whilst the average unemployment rate remains high having reached 6%, and mainly concentrated in East Asia, South Asia, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe.  The report also highlights a continuous trend of decreasing women's economic participation in East Asia where women occupy only 2 out of every 5 new jobs created.

The report insists on the importance of integrating the youth population in the work force especially since the total number of unemployed who are less than 25 years of age has globally reached 74.5 million people and that the global unemployment rate of young people is 13%, i.e. twice as high as the global average.
  According to the report, the job markets in developed countries and in the EU have not scored any improvement in 2013.  Meanwhile, the average economic growth in the MENA region in 2013 was less than what is needed to create enough new jobs to absorb the population growth in the region thus scoring one of the highest unemployment rates worldwide.    The ILO report also noted that there is a dearth of paid employment opportunities in Sub Saharan Africa where the rate of employment in marginal work in 2013 was the highest in the world.

According to Raymond Torres, the Director of the International Institute for Labour Studies at the ILO, economic improvement in the world economy will not be sufficient to address the root causes of the crisis worldwide.  He added that in the near future, the global economy will most likely to continue growing at a slower pace compared to the pre-crisis period.  This will very much hamper the needed task of creating 42 million new jobs yearly in order to absorb the newcomers into the world job sector.
Source: Al-Akhbar, Al-Hayat  21 January 2014

Within the framework of supporting the industrial sector and promoting its products, a meeting was held yesterday between the Chair and CEO of IDAL (Investment Development Authority of Lebanon), Nabil Itani, and a delegation of the Syndicate of Food Industrialist headed by its President Mounir Bsat.  Discussions during the meeting revolved around the development of this sector and ways of supporting local and international fairs and exhibitions in which the Syndicate is seeking to participate.
Itani noted during the meeting that IDAL is working on several fronts to develop the food industry sector in Lebanon with the aim of strengthening its position and competitiveness both internally and internationally. He also pointed out to the fact that food products are amongst the top level exports and that the related industry is creating many employment opportunities. Itani emphasized the importance of developing the efforts to promote these products globally as well as increasing their export and penetration of international markets.  Bsat noted for his part the important role that the state should play in supporting this sector whilst stressing the role which IDAL plays as an umbrella for participating in exhibitions and various international events.  The Syndicate is for its part is exerting considerable efforts working to improve products quality as well as opening new external markets.  Bsat called for developing an annual calendar of exhibitions so as to attract a higher number of Lebanese exhibitors.
Source: Al-Nahar, Al-Diyar 17 January 2014

Pepsico and Ajialouna launched the ninth edition of the Tomou7h university scholarship programme for 2014-2015 yesterday under the auspices of the Minister of Higher Education represented by his advisor Mr. Ghassan Chakrun. The Tomou7h programme provides university scholarships to deserving students with ages between 18 to 22 years who face economic challenges in pursuing their educational degrees. The amount of each individual scholarship varies between USD 500 and USD 3000 which are directly channeled to cover university tuition fees.  In its ninth edition, the programme has allocated a 10% quota to students with special needs.  Applications can be submitted until 30 June 2014 and the selected recipients of scholarships will be notified in August 2014.
Source: Al-Nahar 17 January 2014

Labora association is preparing to kick off its training workshops in February 2014 at its headquarters in Antelias.  The aim of this activity is to prepare young [Christian] candidates to pass the civil service entrance exam and secure a job in the public sector.  The training include a combination of theoretical and practical sessions provided by a selected faculty of trainers and will target a cohort of 8000 young women and men according to the president of the association, Father Toni Khadra who noted that a number of educational institutions proposed to offer their training rooms to absorb the number of trainees should it exceed the planned level.
Father Khadra also noted that the fundraising campaign launched last month via SMS messaging through both Alfa and MTC and for the purpose of raising 200.000 USD for covering part of the cost of this programme does not seem to have attracted much responsiveness based on the records of both companies.  According to Father Khadra, this is due to the timing of the fundraising campaign which coincided with the end of the year holidays.  He called for renewed efforts to spread this fundraising campaign in all areas and neighborhoods and via social media tools as well as through personal contacts with friends and families as well as colleagues and so as to “increase solidarity amongst Christian family more than ever”.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 14 January 2014
Please refer to the following link to review the previous news about Labora’s campaign that was published on WEEPortal on 27/12/2013: Labora launches a fundraising campaign to to secure employment for “Christian youth” only!

The Pioneer women in Minyeh and the North signed an agreement yesterday with the “Ma3akom” association paving the way for initiating an English teaching programme targeting 30 women from B7hneen-Minyeh, with the financial support of the Cultural Division of the American Embassy in Beirut.
The training courses will start in mid January and will extend over six consecutive months and will be run at the premises of the Fekr wa Hayat association in Minyeh.  Students’ enrolment will be free of charge and women will receive, upon the completion of the training, a certificate of enrolment co-signed by the Cultural Division of the American Embassy in Beirut and Ma3akom association.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 16 Janyary 2014

Al Akhbar newspaper published today a report about the economic realities of the youth population living in frontline villages of South Lebanon and their hardships due to the degradation of the economic situation in this particular area after more than 13 years of liberation from Israeli occupation.  The report describes the attempts of young people to challenge unemployment through opening small shops despite local competitions and galloping rents which both limit their earnings.  The report relays the dreams of young people which are to either immigrate or to find a formal job. The latter dream is highly unlikely to become reality given that the region has no major factory or any concrete production opportunity.  In fact, even construction activity has slowed down in the region while contractors of small projects are now resorting to cheaper foreign labor.  Thus, the economy of this particular area of the country remains highly dependent on income from tobacco harvesting and remuneration of young people enlisted in political parties whilst remittances have dropped as the conditions of emigrants in the host countries have deteriorated and the chances for migrating have also dimmed.

According to the report, 75 frontline villages have no major factories or industries.  The number of small workshops has also declined leaving thus far only a dairy factory in Aytaroun.  Shoe factories in Bint Jbeil have decreased from 30 in the nineties to only three small outfits which hardly employ 7 individuals.  Pottery and ceramics factories in Rashayya al Fakhar have dwindled from 50 to two workshops.  Traditional trades have also disappeared.  As to the agriculture sector, the total number of farmers has continued to decrease leading to a neglect of formerly planted areas except for tobacco farming still widespread in Aita Shaab, Rmeish, Aytaroun, Touline and Suwaneh.

The report also notes that this new and difficult socio-economic reality is accompanied by an increase in the cost of real estate and construction material. This situation is seriously inhibiting the ability of young people still residing in the area and who make up 17% of the total residing population from owning or renting houses.

Finally, the report concludes by highlighting the recent efforts of the Federation of Municipalities in Jabal Amel in creating new employment opportunities.  The president of the Federation, Ali Zein, notes that the border area is blessed with relatively large areas of land which are suited for agriculture and for which the Federation is seeking to develop a comprehensive plan in order to create new work opportunities, The plan will aim to provide agricultural extension services to farmers and to organize training in poultry production, beekeeping and to create new agricultural pilot projects that can be adopted by farmers.
Source: Al-Akhbar 15 January 2014