Employment in Syria

A dependent employee works under an employer's direction in return for wages. Common routes include public-sector recruitment, private employment contracts, apprenticeships, vocational or on-the-job training, fixed-term or project work, seasonal work, daily wages, family-business work and other informal arrangements. Agriculture, agro-processing, construction, light manufacturing, garments, local services, public works, green jobs and vocational skills are significant areas of demand, but opportunities differ by governorate because of security conditions, displacement, infrastructure, liquidity, sanctions and recovery conditions. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour administers the national framework. Labour Law 17/2010 generally covers private, cooperative, mixed and foreign union companies. Public servants follow Civil Servants Basic Law 50/2004. Labour Law 17/2010 excludes some groups, including workers in agricultural relations, domestic servants, charity workers, casual workers, certain family members and people working no more than two hours per day. Their rights and duties may depend on another legal regime, their contract or informal practice. A private employment contract should be written in Arabic in three copies. It records the workplace, type and duration of work, wage, payment date, benefits, working hours and other entitlements. The employer sends the third copy to the Social Security directorate within three months. A foreign worker receives an additional copy in a language he or she understands. Probation may last up to three months. Contracts can be fixed-term, indefinite-term or tied to a specific job. Wages follow the employment contract, a collective agreement or the applicable occupational minimum. The National Committee of General Minimum Wage considers occupation, qualifications, experience, location and wage conditions. A monthly wage is due no later than the sixth day of the following month. Equal pay applies to work of equal value. Public salaries and fixed wages for civilian and military employees, public institutions and enterprises, and state-controlled joint ventures increased by 200% under Decree 102/2025 from July 2025; this change does not automatically set private-sector wages. For covered employment, normal working time is limited to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week. Workplace presence may reach ten hours per day where the applicable rules allow it, with a break of at least one hour. Weekly rest lasts at least 24 consecutive hours after no more than six working days. Overtime is paid at an additional 25% during the day and 50% at night. Employers also have duties concerning workplace safety, records, training, transport where needed and social-security registration. Workers have rights to equal treatment, dignity, a safe workplace, health care, trade-union membership, training, social-security registration, periodic wage increases where provided by the contract or regulations, end-of-service benefits and a release certificate. Their duties include diligent work, following lawful instructions, respecting schedules and absence procedures, observing safety rules, protecting confidentiality, providing truthful personal data and taking required retraining. The General Corporation of Social Security has continued operating, but conflict, financial pressure and widespread informal work limit effective coverage for many workers. Jobseekers may register with the Public Employment Agency in their governorate of residence. Registration and the registration card are free, and the agency may not charge a recruitment fee or commission. The legal definition of an unemployed jobseeker covers a Syrian Arab national who is able, willing, available and seeking work without a job. Private employment agencies must be licensed. The Labour Market Platform, reactivated in 2025 at lmo.sy, matches vacancies and CVs and provides access to skills and training opportunities. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Commission offers a free digital account, profiles, job applications and accredited training with certificates. These digital services supplement, rather than replace, statutory employment agencies. A September 2026 Damascus job forum advertised more than 20,000 opportunities through 54 companies and 15 startups, but that event does not represent the national vacancy stock. A non-Syrian worker generally needs a work permit issued by the Minister or an authorised representative for work in public, private, cooperative, mixed and civil-society sectors, including agriculture, services and domestic work. Reciprocity rules, fees, quotas and prohibited occupations can apply, and the permit is linked to the employer and activity. Refugee documentation or residence does not replace the work-permit requirement. Arab Palestinians covered by Law 260/1956 are treated as Syrian nationals for this purpose. Employment statistics require caution because definitions and data sources differ. An ILO-modelled estimate placed unemployment at 13.6% in 2025, while a UNDP assessment estimated approximately 25% joblessness; these figures are not directly comparable. World Bank analysis reports labour-force participation rising from 43% in 2010 to 54% in 2022, employment of about 6.3 million people and a more than fourfold increase in family-business employment. In 2022, services accounted for about 64% of male employment and 86% of female employment, while industry declined. A 2026 UNHCR sample of returnee and host households found that 30% of working-age respondents had no employment, only 6% to 7% held formal jobs, and informal, daily or unpaid work was common; the sample is not a national labour-force estimate. Women, young people, returnees and people with disabilities receive particular attention in employment and skills programmes. When employment ends, a worker generally registers a resignation with the competent directorate and gives two months' written notice. An employer generally gives two months' notice as well. During employer notice, the worker receives paid time for job searching of one day per week or eight hours per week. If an employer ends a fixed-term contract early, residual-wage liability can arise. For a non-covered worker, severance may be one month's wage per year of service. Unfair-dismissal compensation may reach two months' wage per year of service, subject to a cap of 150 times the minimum wage. Termination at age 60 is subject to Social Security exceptions that can extend work to age 65. Worker claims and complaints are court-fee free. A worker seeking dismissal mediation generally applies within ten days after receiving the notice. The directorate has up to one month for mediation; if mediation fails, the dispute can proceed to the competent governorate primary civil court. Syria has no established equivalent of a general unemployment-benefit system in the reviewed framework, so loss of work can create a direct income gap.