Minister of Labor calls for coordination between universities and employers

The Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi launched yesterday a survey related to the labor market in the services and commercial sectors.  The study was done by the National Employment Office (NEO), in collaboration with Beirut Traders Association and the Societe Generale de Bangue au Liban (SGBL). Stressing the significance of the study, the minister said it gives the youth of Lebanon a clear vision of the existing job opportunities awaiting graduates in commerce and related disciplines. Azzi pointed out that despite the harsh economic conditions, the above sector is still resilient and indispensable for the young generation in general. He indicated that while the estimated rate of unemployment among Lebanese is 24%, it is less among Palestinian refugees (nearly 23%) which is appalling. Azzi outlined many factors causing the crisis. “One  of these is the presence of industries with a surplus of employees compared to other sectors which are short of staff and particularly lack the Lebanese talents and competent professionals,” Azzi explained. Another reason, he maintained, is the absence of guidelines that orient high school students in their preferences for higher education, in addition to the interference of cultural traditions in the selection of such preferences.  “Everyone wants to be a doctor, a lawyer or engineer, etc..,” Azzi lamented, underlining the need to promote vocational education and advance what he termed the ‘intermediate occupations’. Azzi also stressed the importance of linking labor market requirements with higher education institutions, urging the latter to network with their students during their post-graduation period as well. (An Nahar, As Safir, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, March 9, 2016)