Lebanon’s newly minted workforce has found itself cast into multiple dilemmas from the get-go. Between establishing a life at home or leaving for new opportunities abroad. Between getting sucked into the same cycles their forefathers were devastated in, or between facing new challenges and risks of their own making. Bachar Bzeih (22) gives compelling insights into the situation of his generation.
Close to thirty years ago, a new generation of Lebanese workers made its way into a brave new world. The Kalashnikovs, barricades, and bomb shelters that had characterized their upbringings made way for the illusionary promises of neoliberal peace. This new world they were promised would bring back the glories of the so-called Lebanese “Golden Age,” allowing for a life of prosperity for them and their children. Their parents, who had entered the workforce during that supposed golden age, were given the same life changing promises. Today, their children are also being welcomed into a radically changing world, this time without the promises.Karl Marx famously quipped that history repeats itself in twos, the first time as tragedy, and the second time as farce. Marx was speaking in the context of the French Revolution, and building on Hegel’s assertions about how similar moments, facts, and figures would often re-appear in history. But away from Robespierre and Napoleon, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens will find themselves relating to this concept.
The “Golden Age” generation that saw its youth die in the tragedy of bombers, tanks, and militiamen, has been subjected to a farcical reenactment as bank managers, currency exchangers, and market oligarchs combine to disrupt and destroy their 21st century lives. Going from a deadly checkpoint queue to a bank queue, that can have equal deadly consequences in the long run, this generation’s experience has been pretty good proof of Marx’s maxim. Does that mean their children’s generation is currently in their first tragic stage of history? It would probably be unwise to extend this single quote into a whole theory of history.
Yet, the metaphor still stands. Having witnessed the tragedy of war and of farcical financialization, a new generation of Lebanese workers are now being welcomed into the belly of the beast. Put at the forefront of the economy’s regeneration these workers must now contend with whether they are doomed to repeat this endless cycle of history or whether they are capable of a feat of Napoleonic prowess that can break the wheel.
But how is his generation of degree-wielding youth facing the challenges of entering the post-crisis world, attempting to establish themselves amidst chaos, and dealing with the generational anxieties that haunt their lives and futures?
Workers of the New World
The workers I talked to are not at the bottom of Lebanon’s economy, but float between security and precarity in what has ostensibly been called the middle class. While every person in the country has been affected by the crises, what makes this middle class of workers interesting is their position in the reconstitution of the Lebanese economy. With the absence of productive economic sectors, a large part of Lebanon’s import heavy economy is built on the dollars local labour can bring in. This puts this new generation at the forefront of investment in the country.But this investment does not come without its costs. Employers today see Lebanon as a source of cheaper labour, with a reserve army of academically and professionally qualified individuals in the lookout for dollar-paying jobs. This has led to a rise in remote and hybrid working environments, mostly between Lebanon and the states of the Arab Gulf.
Mirna B., 22, has found herself at the center of this dynamic. Despite working in Lebanon, she has been exclusively handling projects in the Gulf since the start of her career in marketing. “I know so much about GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] law for someone who’s barely been there,” she quips. She has spent close to two months in the Gulf this year, and she says the work goes much smoother when she’s there. “Here, we have a time difference, we have clients in different countries, we have to manage so many things from so far away,” she says. Her company has dangled offers to move her permanently to Dubai, but that has yet to materialize.
“My salary would have to be tripled,” she says. Before adding that it already should be tripled because of her turbulent workload. Karim E., 23, shares similar sentiments. Unlike Mirna, he has spent most of the past year travelling, and wonders if it would just be better if he relocated permanently outside the country. “If I’m doing Gulf work, why should I be paid Lebanon wages,” he says.
Costs of Life
Ali H., 21, understands the dynamics of this new remote working environment. Still finishing his degree in political studies, he already runs a part time cooking business to pay the bills. “Most of my clients are paid in dollars,” he says, “and work at an office or from home.” Ali provides an essential service to these young workers, cooking affordable meals twice weekly. “Most of them don’t have time between work and fun to sit down and cook, and some don’t know how to cook at all,” he says.Ali does not plan to continue this path, as he looks to enter the workforce himself someday. “This is just to pay rent, and eventually move into my own place,” he says. But despite the multiple crises, Lebanon’s housing market remains inaccessible as ever. “Sometimes I just sit down and think of the prices, and it’s very depressing,” Karim says. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to buy a house.”
Mirna shares a similar sentiment when discussing her own future. “I love my family,” she says, “but sometimes I think about moving out and it strikes me how impossible that is.” Even though Mirna is making more money than her parents right now, she thinks they had much different opportunities at her age.
Re-Generations
The onset of the crises in Lebanon has eliminated a key source of employment in the country, with previously steady middle class career paths in the public sector, the army, and the security forces all but gone. These types of careers had allowed the previous generation to establish themselves and their families in the country, and not immigrate like some of their counterparts. Today, this legacy still plays a key role in how new workers navigate their lives.Mirna states that she started working to become less of a financial burden on her family, as her publicly employed father’s wages had depreciated to historic lows amidst the economic collapse. Karine B., 22, says she felt a similar urge to jump on the dollar opportunities out there. “My parents would sometimes hint at it,” she laughs, “but I did it out of my own desire for independence.”
In both cases, the new workers earned wages comparable, or even higher, than that of their parents. “It was kind of weird,” Karine states, “but at least I was contributing after everything they did.”
The Future
Lebanon’s newly minted workforce has found itself cast into multiple dilemmas from the get-go. Between establishing a life at home or leaving for new opportunities abroad. Between getting sucked into the same cycles their forefathers were devastated in, or between facing new challenges and risks of their own making.Since the moment of October 17, and its subsequent petering out, true mass mobilization has been rare. During the prolonged crisis period that followed, a few small to medium scale grassroot initiatives have popped up.
These initiatives often start with strong radical potential, achieving limited goals before setting their sights toward larger ambitions. But then, a few would follow the same paths, members would immigrate, get too busy, or fall out, and the initiative would fall. Jana, 25, described to me how this process played out a housing initiative she was a part of. “It was going great for 6 months, we got a few cases sorted, we were looking to expand, then over two months it kind of just fell apart.”, she said.
Similarly, Nour C., 27, described being involved in a semi-formal employment initiative. “There’s a lot of NGOs out there that do classic employment training,” she said, referring to technical skill programs, and workshops that are run in the country. “We were aiming for something different, we wanted to actually get people employed.” Their initiative, never named, involved refining people’s CVs, sharing information regarding jobs, and hiring, and discussing working environments. “It was almost a friend group,” she said. Although now the initiative has kind of winded down now, she says it’ll probably pick up again in a while, perhaps in a different form.
This exemplifies how a part of Lebanon’s youth see the world today. In the volatile waves of crisis, many try to stick to the flow that will get them through the storm. In this flow, connections are made and then broken, and attempts to turn the tide are launched and forgotten. With the tsunami of climate change looming over their head, in addition to the existing crises, many feel disconnected from the world and its future.
March 2023