Youth students discuss unemployment with MPs and propose counter measures

Lebanese center for civic education organized yesterday a discussion with MPs Simon Abi Ramia and Kazem el Khair.  The event was entitled “youth discuss unemployment” and was implemented within the project entitled “participate and change” which aims at building bridges between the youth and MPs.  Forty young men and women representing students’ leadership in LU, AUB, USJ, LAU, BAU, and NDU took part in this event.

Abi Ramia noted that the present situation requires calling for declaring a “youth emergency” as well as discussing laws which will help young people find jobs.  Abi Ramia also considered that the National Employment Bureau bears a big responsibility in solving the problem of unemployment and should be developing national employment policies.  Al Khair considered that the absence of accurate statistics on unemployment in Lebanon is a main reason for not being able to find appropriate solutions.  He added that some statistics speak of 11.9% unemployment while those released by the Ministry of Labor indicate 16%.  Al Khair spoke of a number of scenarios for solutions namely enacting laws that attract investments as well as finalizing a national budget which takes due consideration of investment and job creation.

The young participants issued a letter to the two MPs requesting them to undertake a number of initiatives to resolve the question of unemployment.  The said letter included a number of recommendations namely to undertake studies which would identify the size of unemployment and would provide implementable recommendations.  The letter also requests the operationalisation of the National Employment Bureau to act as a reference for youth according to their skills as well as enact laws that encourage companies to introduce professional training and also having a quota on foreign labor and reorganizing the educational system so as to match market demands.

Source: Al-Nahar 25 June 2014