(Mr Al-Dardari calls for transforming the fair into a permanent exhibition).

The Syrian Youth Entrepreneurial Association (“SYEA”) 2009 Job Fair was visited by more than five thousand young people, approximately 3400 of whom who were presented with job applications from some sixty participating companies.

“This exhibition reflects a change in the Syrian economy and even in Syrian society,” said economist representative Abdullah Al-Dardari, who visited the fair on its final day and called for converting it into a permanent exhibition. 

“After my visit to the expedition, I felt a change in the mentality of the Syrian job market. It is clear that there is various demand in the Syrian market resulting from economic changes, and it is clear that there is various supply,” added Al-Dardari. “But the issue is that this widespread change and transformation in the framework of the Syrian economy needs more time and effort.”

Concerning the role of the companies participating in the exhibition and the private sector in guaranteeing job opportunities, Al-Dardari said that “the unemployment rate did not rise during the tenth five-year plan; in fact, our indicators say that it lowered, whereas government employment did not rise. This means that the private sector in turn absorbed job seekers coming into the job market.”

SYEA’s Board Chairman, Abdulsalam Haykal, described the current session of the Job Fair as “extremely special”, despite the fact that the organisational committee for the exhibition faced a number of difficulties in securing participants in light of slow economic activity.

Mr Haykal called for more companies to participate in the exhibition’s upcoming sessions, considering this “a patriotic and important economic obligation”. “The private sector and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce must look at it from this angle before anything else, just as the exhibition is the changing the way job seekers see the companies, contributing to developing the work culture in Syria.”

Similarly, SEA’s Co-President Karim Tabah revealed that “the establishment of the exhibition this year was a significant challenge and convening this session demanded a twofold effort because of the reticence of some of the companies to participate in the shadow of the international economic crisis.” Mr Tabah explained that the exhibition “reflects the true reality of the job market in Syria and tries to progress with it, depicting the true state of the market in front of officials and decision-makers.”

Most of the visitors are young, recent graduates.

Statistics indicate that nearly eighty percent of the exhibition’s visitors are young, recent graduates. “I am looking for a job that will place on the right track in the beginning of my future career, said Dima Mansour, a recent graduate in English literature. “So salary might not be as important as the job offering me room for development.”

But her colleague Suhaa Azaam is ready for work in any available vacancy in any company, because she graduated two years ago and has not yet found an opportunity for work.

Dentist Loujeen Halabi, on the other hand, did not come to the exhibition looking for a job opportunity, but rather looking for people to support his special project in establishing a centre devoted to educating parents about ways to make their children not afraid of going to the dentist. 

Companies received hundreds of job applications

Approximately sixty companies participated in the current session of the exhibition, including the Islamic Joint Liability Bank (currently being established), which offered ten vacancies in all departments and fields and which, according to the bank’s Human Resource Manager Ghazwan Al-Baqaa’i, received 250 job applications during the three-day exhibition.

“There will be job interview opportunities for those applicants we find most suitable for the exhibited positions,” noted Mr Al-Baqaa’i, adding “I believe that twenty or twenty-five percent of the applicants will be employed.”

The largest programming company in Syria, Transtech, also exhibited vacancies in the areas of programming, technical support, marketing and sales. In light of statistics indicating that nearly eighty percent of the exhibition’s visitors are new graduates, Transtech’s Sales Manager Haazim Heikal said that “we are not waiting for people who have experience, but rather searching for new graduates to whom we will guidance and continuous training, rotating them in the company so that they know which departments are most suitable for them.”

Ayhem Tasaabahaji, Manager of Training and Development in the “Group for Integrated Development”, a company that works in the area of training and preparing youth for entering the job market and obtaining job employment opportunities, said that his company received nearly one thousand applications during the course of the Job Fair and that this indicates awareness among young people of the need to refine their experience and the development of a work culture among Syrian youth.

Anas Noulti, Assistant Executive and Human Resources Manager in Andomi, expressed his hope that the applications received by the company during the course of the exhibition would fill vacancies offered in the production and sales departments, among others.

“We noticed that many of the young applicants do not care a lot about the quality of the work offered to them: the most important thing for them is obtaining any job at any value.” According to Noulti, his company welcomes employing new graduates, even if they do not have experience, provided they have enthusiasm to work and the ability to develop quickly.”

Anas noted that “some of the young visitors to the exhibition are searching for an opportunity to work in Syria after losing their jobs in the Arabian Gulf. They have good experience but they request salaries equivalent to that which they were obtaining in the Gulf. Syrian companies perhaps do not pay more than a third of that in the best circumstances.”

The Chicks Company exhibited approximately 25 vacancies in the area of systems, human resources and sales. Manager of Training, Doctor Mohammad Al-Nahaas, said that the company received hundreds of job applications, with varying estimates, but noted that “nearly seventy percent of applicants are not proficient in English, which may hinder their acceptance or delay employment promotion.”

Participation was not limited to companies

In addition to companies, there were a number of a number of agencies dealing with young people, such as the International Youth Chamber, the Aspirant Society (a fund of the Science Agency) and the Association for Administration of Human Resources, among others. Lina Abdul Khaliq, Program Manager for Shell, describes the exhibition as “very good, making it possible to acquaint thousands of Syrian youths with the Intilaaqah program aimed at encouraging Syrian youth to consider the option of self-employment and entrepreneurship, encouraging entrepreneurs desiring to establish their small projects through motivation, training and counselling.”

Ms Abdul Khaliq said that the massive attendance at the exhibition was expected in light of the international economic crisis and the desire of young people to obtain a good opportunity for work, adding, “we received more than 400 applications for joining the Intilaaqah program and will interview those young people we feel are genuinely serious in working to be project owners and employees for others, instead of being merely job seekers.”