Faltering Lebanese economy sparks exodus

Lebanon has become famous for exporting human resources to the world, ever since Mount Lebanon acquired its socio-economic characteristics as an independent entity in the mid-nineteenth century.

Since then natives of this area have been leaving their homeland searching for a better living elsewhere.

In a country that fears holding a census lest it disturbs the demographic equivalence among its various sects, researchers may discover that the last count of the Lebanese citizens was undertaken in 1932 under the French mandate.

Seventy years later, the Lebanese authority still behaves like an ostrich with its head in the sand; there are no clear figures about the number of the Lebanese citizens whether residing in Lebanon or abroad so that politics is not disturbed by any new demographic formula.

As a matter of fact, Lebanese nationals from all sects have been fleeing the country since Mount Lebanon's civil wars in 1840 and 1860. But after Lebanon's independence in 1943, and subsequent economic prosperity in the period that followed it, immigration from Lebanon reached its lowest levels.

But with the start of the civil war in 1975, many left their homeland for security concerns. Destination countries included the Gulf states, witnessing at that a boom in their economies.

Other Lebanese took off to the African countries in light of these states' richness in mineral resources, coupled with cheap labour.

To this date, there are no figures indicating the continental distribution of the Lebanese around the globe. All what numbers reveal is the resumption of large-scale emigration in the mid 1990s after a five year period during which emigrants tended to return to their homeland after the conclusion of the nation's civil strife in 1990.

Official numbers, as given by the Beirut International Airport, show that between 1991 and 2001 the number of departures, minus the number of arrivals has been 100,000 per year. That is 100,000 Lebanese nationals on average leave the country every year.

Statistics undertaken by the Centre for Projects and Development Studies show that between 1997 and 2001, 0.5 million out of the estimated four million Lebanese population have acquired immigration visas.

Over the past 10 years, almost 10 per cent of the Lebanese people left Beirut for Canada for different purposes (tourism, education and permanent immigration), while a slightly small percentage departed for the United States.

These figures also show that 12 years after the end of the civil war, the Lebanese are still on their marks to leave the land of their forefathers. Reasons for the immigration are economic, social and political.

A country whose budget is burdened with debt and where unemployment reaches up to 40 per cent of the working force (unemployment figures were published by the Information International in May), qualified youth join the market with little opportunity of success.

"Competition here is unbearable, even if someone gets a job offer, packages are not negotiable since the boss knows that scores of other qualified applicants are standing in a queue outside his/her office," said Ahmed Tannir, a fresh Political Studies graduate from the American University of Beirut (AUB).

Tannir added he has applied to almost all kinds of jobs ever since he graduated last February but now he is considering immigration to pursue higher education in Canada.

Kamal Abdul-Baqi, a fresh engineering graduate also from AUB, said he has been more fortunate to find a job in a software development firm though he thinks he is over-qualified for his position and underpaid.

"I can live with my unfavourable work conditions, but I cannot stand the social discrepancy between the youth and the older generation," according to Abdel Baqi who also said he leads a secret life that is not acceptable among his more traditional community.

Abdel Baqi said he plans to marry a lady from a different sect whom he loves but his parents have always opposed him on this issue.

This had made Abdul Baqi and his lover consider immigration to England where they can live together freely.

Lack of political freedom and civil liberties in the country as has been recently reported in the United Nations Development Programme's 13th annual report, makes it even harder for these young people who are already struggling against the social and economic situations.

George, who refused to disclose his last name, said he lost his job after being arrested last August and imprisoned for a month on charges of disturbing national security.

George was among several other young people who demonstrated in front of the justice palace and were physically assaulted and later arrested.

George said perhaps leaving Beirut to France for a couple of years is not a bad idea hoping that the political atmosphere would change in Lebanon in the coming few years.

However, immigrants are not only young people. Many senior citizens have either gone bankrupt or have been laid off. The slowing Lebanese economy has forced many established businesses into either early retirement or relocation.

Over the past few years, immigration and brain drain have not gone in Lebanon's favour. "The government claims that it wants to attract foreign investors but I think it should better start attracting its own citizens and offer them a living that would stop them from going abroad," George concluded.