Syria's Labor Ministry: Committed to stabilizing the job market
Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Khalil Awad, Director of Labor Regulation at the Ministry, stated that efforts are ongoing to ensure equality between Syrian and non-Syrian workers under Labor Law No. 17 of 2010. 'Articles 2 and 4 of the law stipulate equal rights and obligations for all workers, while also safeguarding local labor from unfair competition,' Awad explained.
He added that despite this principle of equality, the law imposes specific requirements on foreign workers. 'Articles 27 to 30 of the same legislation mandate that non-Syrian workers obtain work permits, and Ministerial Decree No. 888 of 2016 outlines the procedures for granting such permits,' he said. According to Awad, these measures are intended to maintain proper regulation and order in the labor market.
Regarding Syrians employed abroad, Awad described them as 'an invaluable national asset,' emphasizing their positive contributions to the economies of their host countries. 'We are currently working to create an attractive work environment inside Syria to encourage their return and involvement in the reconstruction process,' he added, revealing that the Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates to compile accurate statistics on Syrians working overseas.
Domestically, the Ministry is expanding initiatives to train and employ youth. Awad highlighted the Ministry's oversight of several NGOs that offer specialized vocational training programs in partnership with the Ministries of Industry, Education, and Housing.
'We are in the process of integrating national digital platforms related to vocational training, under labor regulations, to improve accessibility to resources and training opportunities,' Awad said.
He concluded that the overarching goal is to ensure effective coordination among relevant institutions and build a comprehensive training environment aligned with market needs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq's climate collapse: A nation at risk
2025-08-02T20:28:29+00:00 Shafaq News Iraq, once anchored by its oil wealth, now faces a more urgent threat: climate collapse fueled by drought, disappearing rivers, and rapid desertification. This escalating crisis is displacing communities, weakening institutions, straining national cohesion, and sending shockwaves through the region and global energy markets. Agriculture Under Siege The Ministry of Agriculture has banned summer rice cultivation due to critical water shortages, with advisor Mehdi Dhahir al-Qaisi explaining to Shafaq News that reduced inflows from Turkiye and Iran have made traditional crops like rice unsustainable. To conserve water, the ministry is promoting sprinkler irrigation by offering 30% subsidies and interest-free loans, though only half of the 13,000 ordered systems have arrived and just 3,000 have reached farmers. Water Restrictions and a Shrinking Economy Meanwhile, the Ministry of Water Resources has capped agricultural land at one million dunams, prioritizing drinking water, orchards, livestock, and marshes. Deputy Director Ghazwan Abdul-Amir told our agency that enforcement is tightening, though illegal farming and water theft remain widespread. With negotiations stalled with upstream countries, the United Nations warns Iraq could lose 20% of its remaining water supply by 2030. Economist Ahmed Eid cautioned that rising food imports are inflating prices and weakening the non-oil economy. 'Without a unified response, rural economies will collapse, fiscal strain will deepen, and Iraq's ability to absorb future shocks will erode,' he said. Migration, Labor Losses, and Urban Strain As agricultural land dries up, thousands are fleeing to overcrowded cities that lack the infrastructure to absorb them, with the World Bank projecting over 1 million climate-displaced Iraqis by 2050 without stronger adaptation policies. The crisis is also crushing outdoor laborers like 23-year-old Hussein Sajjad, who told Shafaq News that he loses his income every time the temperature spikes. With no labor protections or heat safety standards, Iraq could lose up to 4% of total working hours by 2030, according to the International Labour Organization—disproportionately affecting low-income and informal workers. Experts Warn of Institutional Paralysis Although the government has announced a national climate strategy, experts like Green Iraq Observatory's Omar Abdul-Latif caution that delayed implementation and insufficient funding have pushed the country deeper into a 'danger zone.' 'Iraq is not adapting to climate change but struggling to survive it,' Abdul-Latif argued. 'Institutional neglect is widening the gap between the scale of the crisis and the state's ability to respond.' Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
Shafaq News
4 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Decade after ISIS atrocities: Yazidi families still searching for loved ones
Shafaq News – Duhok/Sinjar As Yazidis marked the anniversary of the 2014 ISIS assault on Sinjar, families renewed appeals for help to determine the fate of thousands of women, children, and men abducted during the attack. Um Barzan, a mother from Sinjar, has spent more than a decade searching for her son. 'We're desperate for international help to find out what happened to Barzan,' she told Shafaq News. In Sharya camp, south of Duhok, Khdeida Musto recalled how ISIS abducted his wife and four children while he was away from home. 'We've since found my daughter, wife, and three of my children, but one is still missing. We're not giving up.' Others, like Bahar—a mother of four—are still grappling with the aftermath of captivity. 'ISIS held me and my children for nearly two years,' she said. 'I was freed, but my husband and six relatives remain unaccounted for. We just want to know if they're alive.' Hussein al-Qaidi, Head of the KRG's Office for Kidnapped Yazidis, said that while 3,590 survivors have been rescued so far, more than 2,550 remain missing. Search efforts are ongoing with the backing of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, he noted. The Yazidi community remains among the most devastated by ISIS crimes. More than 200,000 people are still displaced—many living in camps—and those who returned to Sinjar face limited access to services and reconstruction aid.
Shafaq News
4 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Waterway dispute rekindles tensions between Iraq and Kuwait
Shafaq News A 2012 agreement regulating navigation in the Khor Abdullah waterway between Iraq and Kuwait remains highly controversial in Iraq. Critics warn the deal blurs maritime boundaries and threatens national sovereignty. Some call for its annulment, while others support renegotiation to better safeguard Iraq's rights. Kuwait maintains the maritime boundary and navigation rights in Khor Abdullah are firmly grounded in international law, insisting that any unilateral attempt by Iraq to revoke the agreement is invalid and unacceptable. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also lodged formal protests, urging Iraq to honour its commitments under binding international treaties. It further reaffirmed Kuwait's sovereignty over its territorial waters and its right to shared navigation in the waterway. Meanwhile, many Iraqis view the border demarcation, imposed by the US Security Council after expelling Saddam Hussein's army in 1991, as unfair and exploitative of Iraq's weakened state at the time.
