Employment and unemployment are two words that politicians love to use. They understand that an economy is equal to consumption, which entails income, which in turn entails a salary and yes, a salary requires a job. Politicians are thus duty-bound to maximize employment and develop human resources, to achieve optimum productivity. The same cannot be said however, for politicians in Lebanon, where the issues of human development and job creation remain entirely marginal topics. This would seem a reckless policy, when unemployment stands at anywhere between 10% and 19%. That’s quite a range. In the US, a move of 0.5% sends the government running for cover. That’s how important jobs are to an economy. “The Lebanese labor market is in a state of ‘dis-equilibrium,’ away from the effective allocation of labor,” said Zafiris Tzannatos, economist and internationally renowned human development specialist. Previously the manager for the Middle East and North
