- 26
- Jan.
- 2025
The scandal of “electoral hiring” in the public sector is not a new phenomenon. What drives these “hunters of ghost jobs” is less the salary than the associated perks: generous bonuses, discretionary spending, allowances for occasional assignments, representation expenses, and even travel indemnities for overseas trips, often handed out with surprising generosity.
A Restructuring Plan on Hold since 2017
Since 2017, a vital public sector restructuring plan designed to accurately identify vacant positions has languished in the drawers of the Executive. Article 21 of the salary scale law, enacted on August 21, 2017, strictly prohibits any form of recruitment or hiring within public administrations, including the education and military sectors, as well as projects conducted in partnership with international organizations. This ban also applies to filling vacant positions unless explicitly authorized by the Council of Ministers and backed by a study from the Civil Service Council.
Under the same law, the ban was meant to remain in effect until an auditing firm, appointed within six months, formulated a restructuring strategy. This plan was to include a review of vacant positions and an evaluation of roles to be created or eliminated, factoring in technological advancements.
Total Number of Arbitrary Recruitments: 37,000
Despite numerous government promises since 1993 to stop disorderly recruitment, these commitments have had little impact. A study by the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee revealed that successive governments have arbitrarily hired around 37,000 people.
Following the enactment of the law in 2017, 5,473 individuals were hired outside the military and security sectors. Only 460 were recruited in accordance with the existing rules, while 5,013 were hired in violation of the law, under various statuses such as contract, daily, or service providers. Prior to 2019, this number rose by an additional 32,009 recruits, hired under similarly varied titles.
Ibrahim Kanaan, chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee, believes that the state's financial crisis is less a result of the salary increases linked to the scale adopted in 2017 and more due to the illegal recruitment of thousands of people, without regard for actual needs, skills, or experience.
A Huge Financial Burden
The public sector, including the military, civil servants, municipalities, and retirees, currently employs over 320,000 people. Their total salaries amount to approximately $142 million per month in fresh currency. This distribution includes 120,000 employees in the military and security sectors, 11,000 in the ministries (excluding Education), 65,000 in the Ministry of Education (with nearly 40,000 being contract workers), 20,000 in municipalities and public institutions, and 125,000 retirees, the majority of whom are former military personnel.
The Idleness of the Civil Service Council
The idleness of the Civil Service has increased reliance on contract workers and daily employees. The last exam organized by the Civil Service Council to recruit Category 4 employees took place 14 years ago, while the most recent exams for secondary and primary education were held 9 and 15 years ago, respectively. In total, around 92,000 people receive a salary from the Treasury for services rendered, with 60% (about 54,000) being contract workers, and the education sector accounting for 57% of the total.
Mass Retirements
Retirement also represents an increasing challenge. In 2024, 453 civil employees left the public administration, a number expected to reach 450 in 2025. By 2030, an estimated 2,850 additional employees will retire, not including those who will leave for other reasons. This trend will further aggravate the structural shortcomings of the public sector.
According to the research and consultancy firm "Information International," the vacancy of the Governor of the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) in August 2023 brought the number of vacant top-category positions to 100. The same source also points out that eighteen top-category positions have become vacant between August 2023 and the end of 2025.
In short, the stagnation and illegal practices sustained over the years have resulted in a critical financial and organizational situation, calling for urgent and comprehensive reform.
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