Lebanon lost 50 percent of tourism sector labor force since 2019: Ramy

After the accumulation of the many crises in Lebanon, the tourism and restaurant sectors witnessed an exodus of the Lebanese labor force, which was attracted by the Arab Petro-tourism boom.   

President of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night Clubs, and Pastries in Lebanon, Tony Ramy, said that looking at the year 2011, the number of employees at that time in the sector reached 160,000 registered in the National Social Security Fund, in addition to those who were not registered, in addition to 40,000 students who work during holidays and tourist seasons.   

He added that from 2019 until today, Lebanon had lost more than 50 percent of the professional cadres, and the existing salaries are not competitive with those offered abroad.   

With the scarcity of qualified labor force due to the depletion of the local labor force, “we say that if we want to advance in the sector to provide quality service, we must preserve our tourism wealth, that is, what remains of our production partners from the professional labor force as much as we must maintain our institutions and their continuity,” Ramy said.