Beirut was nominated first city in the Middle East for human resources (HR) by FDI Magazine, a publication of the Financial Times Group. Lauded for the standard of its schools and internationally recognized universities, the survey assessed the Lebanese capital to have the highest proportion of graduates among any city in the region, and came first for the quality of its academic institutions.
According to FDI, Lebanon’s 41 universities and 377 technical colleges have made it a center for regional learning.
“The educational sector has benefited from the country’s democratic institutions, and the fact that there has been no state interference in higher private education,” said Samir Makdisi, professor in economics at the American University of Beirut (AUB).
The survey indicated that Beirut’s high skills pool was a contributing factor in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), which reached $2 billion in 2003.
“I haven’t seen the empirical evidence tying the level of education with the country’s FDI, but there is no doubt about the fact that a higher level of education contributes positively to economic growth and development,” Makdisi noted.
A high level of education combined with affordable wages by regional standards, make Beirut a city of choice for recruiters.
“All Arab countries like to recruit in Lebanon, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai and Bahrain,” said Dominique Safa, recruitment manager for the Beirut-based HR company Recruiters.
Makdisi painted a more nuanced picture. “Salaries aren’t necessarily lower across the board, there is a disparity. At the top level in businesses such as banks or private institutions of higher education, salaries are higher, making Lebanon more competitive with regards to other Arab countries, but not with the Gulf.”
Beirut was followed by Haifa in Israel, Doha in Qatar and Jubail in Saudi Arabia, as part of the survey designed to select the Middle Eastern Cities of the Future for 2005-2006.
