MoL launches its new employment portal to combat unemployment

In a pioneering move in Lebanon, Labor Minister Sajaan Azzi sponsored the launching of the new electronic job portal, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the National Employment Office (NEO) and Microsoft Company, which will enable employers and job seekers to connect. During the press conference held for the ceremony, Azzi maintained that the new job portal initiative is the third project to be launched this year by the Ministry of Labor (MoL) in collaboration with NEO. It is to be noted that the first in that series was a project called the first job opportunity for youth, which is expected to create some 4800 jobs for the young generation of both sexes during the next four years. Azzi pointed out that the number of Lebanese living under the poverty line, with less than USD 4 per day, number some 1 million and 170 thousand persons, equivalent to one third of the total population of the country. He underscored that “there are many people out there who want to work in professions which we believe suffer from a shortage in workforce.” Azzi also announced that NEO will be expanding its outreach so as to cover all poor localities, and in order to better target unemployed persons. For his part, NEO general director Jean Abi Fadel said the new portal project will be open to collaboration with all and in accordance with the prevailing laws. He urged the private sector to further cooperate with his institution by advertising job offers that meet their business requirements. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, 7 July 2015)