Azzi lamenting again on foreigners and unemployment in Lebanon

The Lebanese International University LIU organized yesterday its 11th annual job fair under the sponsorship of Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi and with the presence of LIU president, Abdel Rahim Mrad and the participation of a large number of local companies representatives. On the occasion, Azzi reiterated his ministry’s efforts to protect and preserve the domestic workforce and control, without excluding the possibility of taking advantage of foreign skills. He said that Lebanon always needs expertise, but that the priority is for Lebanese workers, and “wherever there is a Lebanese who can fill an open vacancy, it would be a crime to replace him with someone who is not Lebanese, no matter his nationality or status.” Azzi warned of a systematic invasion by foreign nationals of various sectors of the labor market, noting that “the Lebanese are being disqualified and replaced by outsiders,” as he puts it. During another previous similar event, Azzi appealed to the Lebanese to boycott any corporation or institution that does not employ locals, and urged students to believe in their country and to seriously and whole-heartedly seek employment in Lebanon first. (Al Mustaqbal, May 5, 2016)