Doubts over unemployment data and labor market imbalances

“Al-Mashreq Center for Strategic Affairs” convened a workshop which is a part of a series entitled: “challenges and solutions in the labor market: specifying the gap between demand for labor and supply and closing it “.During the workshop which was held in Beirut – Badaro, participants reviewed key challenges facing the labor market in general, and questioned the general perception related to scarce work opportunities in Lebanon while focusing on work opportunities from the perspective of graduates. Participants also expressed their dissatisfaction with existing unemployment data in Lebanon and came up with a set of recommendations that may contribute towards closing the gap in the labor market and maintaining the quality of supply and the validity of demand for labor. Recommendations included: 1) orienting students in schools and universities and encouraging them to specialize in a specific area according to the requirement of the labor market at the time, as well as spreading awareness among them, 2) linking universities with the labor market and strengthening coordination among them, 3) encouraging male and female students to enrol in vocational and crafts schools, and not only universities, through Raising awareness on the importance of that sector and its specialties and the needs of the market for such spécialisation, 4) continuing monitoring of universities and institutes on the part of concerned agencies (mostly the Ministry of Education) and conducting annual evaluation of their performance, 5) strengthening government institutions such as the national institution for employment, and paying attention to the infrastructure (electricity, water, internet, and transport), 6) and finally looking into the possibility of reforming outdated and harsh labor laws. (Al Diyar, January 23, 2017)