The Syrian government has announced a comprehensive reform plan aimed at combating corruption and stimulating investment. Within the framework of the measures, the plan includes the dismissal of fictitious employees, the closure of ineffective companies, and the restructuring of the public sector to reduce hidden unemployment.
Syria's finance minister, Mahmoud Abazid, stated to Reuters that the lists of state workers number around 400,000 names, the removal of which will free up significant resources for the government. He emphasized that the scale of corruption has turned out to be much greater than the new government anticipated.
Abazid pointed out that some state companies "exist only for the purpose of stealing resources," and that the government plans to close them and redistribute resources to more productive sectors. In turn, the minister of economy of Syria announced a significant shift towards a free market economy.
Regarding the restructuring of the public sector, the minister of administrative development of Syria stated that the government needs between 550,000 to 600,000 workers, which is less than the current number, indicating plans for reducing public service and increasing its efficiency.
The Ministry of Labor of Syria told Reuters that due to administrative inefficiency and hidden unemployment, a number of employees were sent on three-month paid leave to assess their work performance.
Three Syrian ministers confirmed to Reuters that the new government aims to increase both foreign and local investment for the creation of new job places.
In previous statements in an interview with the "Al-Jazeera" channel, it was emphasized that the government has begun raising salaries by 400% to improve the situation of workers, considering that the average salary in Syria constitutes between 20 to 25 dollars, and the majority of Syrians are below the poverty line.
Abazid stated that the government faces serious economic challenges, and there is no magic wand for solving Syria's economic problems, adding that the ministry plans to remove 300,000 names of state employees. He also clarified that the new Syrian leadership "aims to conduct structural reform to combat stagnation in government institutions," noting that the actual number of state employees is around 900,000.
