Sowing seeds

Much is written and more is discussed about the impact of Syrian refugees on the Lebanese labor market. Plenty of analyses and proposals are in the air. This is as commendable as it is understandable: Lebanon faces both a humanitarian crisis and a labor market crisis. In the labor market, an already bad situation is expected to become worse in the coming year. Simple economic theory suggests that when the supply of workers increases, labor is offered in the market at discounted wages. And not only that: working conditions may deteriorate while occupational health and safety risks increase, unless employers are scrupulous and labor laws are enforced. In addition to this shock, longstanding structural issues in Lebanese labor remain. These include the local underutilization of Lebanese in marginal or seasonal types of work, or more directly in terms of part time or seasonal employment and high unemployment, and the migration