Lebanon launches portal for jobs in Qatar for World Cup

World Cup has increased opportunities for Lebanese seeking escape from unemployment and economic hardship

The Lebanese labour ministry has established a portal to help nationals find jobs in Qatar ahead of the World Cup as well as Qataris looking for jobs in Lebanon. Getty Images

Lebanon has set up an online platform to help citizens find jobs in Qatar, which is seeking to fill roles needed for its hosting of the FIFA World Cup finals starting in November.

"This is a chance for Lebanese people to receive experience and financial income," Labour Minister Mustafa Bayram said at a press conference to announce the launch of the platform on Monday.

The platform, hosted on the Labour Ministry's website, aims to help Qatari companies find qualified job applicants in Lebanon.

It also allows recruitment from Qatar for jobs in Lebanon.

The ministry itself will not take part in the recruitment process, but will facilitate job opportunities between the two countries, Mr Bayram said.

The platform has been set up as Qatar seeks temporary staff to cope with the demands of hosting officials and players of the 32 teams taking part in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as hundreds of thousands of fans arriving from around the world during the tournament from November 20 to December 18.

The recruitment platform for what Mr Bayram said was “not a migration, but a co-operation between the two countries”, has garnered some online criticism, with Lebanese saying the ministry should work to provide jobs in one’s home country.

Mr Bayram said Lebanon's General Security directorate had agreed to expedite the processing of passports for those seeking to travel for work in Qatar.

The agency has been overwhelmed by passport applications from Lebanese hoping to leave the country amid a severe economic crisis. A months-long backlog due to shortages of material to make passports has left many people unable to travel for work, education or even medical treatment.

Since 2019 Lebanon has suffered from a severe economic crisis which the World Bank has described as among the worst in modern history.

More than 80 per cent of the country’s population has been pushed into poverty, while the value of the local currency has plummeted to only a fraction of what it was once worth. Salaries paid in Lebanese pounds have not kept up with the inflation, severely devaluing the purchasing power of ordinary Lebanese. Meanwhile, one third of the country’s workforce is unemployed, the UN estimates, and youth unemployment is at nearly 50 per cent.

Desperate for work opportunities and decent wages, increasing numbers of people have been attempting to migrate to Europe illegally on boats across Mediterranean.