Marina Merhej | Wasim al-Adawi | Shaaban Chamieh | Amir Huquq
The administrative shifts seen across Syria’s public sector after the fall of the Assad regime have produced a sharp disparity in salaries between employees covered by the legally mandated pay scale and newly contracted staff, particularly those brought in from northern Syria under different contracting arrangements.
The average monthly salary for a public sector employee ranges between 1.2 and 1.5 million Syrian pounds, the equivalent of less than $120 to $150. Meanwhile, some newly contracted staff hired by state institutions after the political and administrative changes receive salaries starting at $300 a month, which is two to three times the pay of an older employee in a similar position at the same job grade.
This wage gap does not only reflect differences in contract terms. It also points to the absence of a unified wage policy during a sensitive transitional phase, in which state institutions are being run through multiple approaches that combine a legacy administrative structure with attempts to attract new staff through incentive pay.
In this file, Enab Baladi examines the reality of salary distortions in Syria’s public sector, the widening gap between employees, the reasons behind the absence of a unified pay scale, and the legal, economic, and social repercussions.
Between the pound and the dollar, A distorted pay scale threatens state institutionsThe distortion of the public sector pay scale is among the most sensitive and consequential issues shaping Syria’s economic reality, given its direct impact on productivity, institutional efficiency, and the state’s role in rebuilding the national economy. When wages are set on unclear grounds and managed through inconsistent standards, the balance of work is disrupted, and institutions become unable to perform their economic role.
The clear distortions that have emerged in Syria’s salary system, whether through disparities between sectors, the use of different currencies for wage payments, or the lack of any link between pay, competence, and experience, raise serious questions about the foundations on which this pay scale is built, how closely it is tied to competence and experience, and its accompanying economic impact. Economists who spoke to Enab Baladi considered that it limits productive capacity and undermines the effectiveness of the public sector as a key driver of the economy.
Syrians flock to exchange currency in Damascus, 4 January 2025 (Enab Baladi, Ahmad Maslamani).
Fundamental structural distortions
Researcher and university professor Dr. Sabri Hassan said the distortions in public sector pay scales in Syria are fundamental structural distortions resulting from wages being disconnected from productivity, and salaries not being linked to actual performance or the employee’s added value. He also pointed to the flattening of the salary pyramid and the compression of gaps between grades and levels, which reduces incentives for promotion.
Among the main drivers of pay disparities, Hassan told Enab Baladi, are security and political instability, which exerts heavy pressure and fuels successive economic crises, inflation, and the depreciation of the Syrian pound, making salaries insufficient. He also cited government policies that raise wages sporadically without keeping pace with prices, unequal application of pay increases between the civilian and military sectors, and the large number of “ghost employees.”
He explained that all of this takes place in the broader context of war and sanctions, which have severely eroded purchasing power and increased reliance on external support.
Two identical jobs, two different salaries
An engineer working at the Ministry of Energy, who requested anonymity, said he has worked for more than 20 years at an entity that has since become affiliated with the ministry and receives a salary that does not exceed 1.3 million Syrian pounds. He is subject to all provisions of the Basic Workers Law, including working hours, accountability procedures, periodic promotions, and social security contributions.
In his view, employees of the “Salvation Government” in Idlib had higher salaries compared to state employees during the former regime, then merged into the interim government after the liberation, and later into the current transitional government. He said the pay and wage scale should have been adjusted to match the level of the Salvation Government salaries once the latest government was formed.
The engineer added, “I welcome any new colleague in the department, but it is unacceptable that we and they sit in the same office doing the same work, are held to the same standards, and yet the salary difference is multiplied several times over.”
He said this disparity affects people’s sense of fairness and belonging, in addition to feelings of resentment among some employees toward their coworkers. Employees covered by the Basic Workers Law, he added, keep asking why public administrations are being so “vague and unclear” when explaining why staff in the same job category receive salaries four or five times higher, or even more. He stressed that the law must be applied as it stands to achieve equality and rebuild trust in institutions, so that work does not become a routine obligation, and so that equal pay is provided for equal work.
University professor and economist Dr. Majdi al-Jamous told Enab Baladi that distortions in the public sector pay scale are among Syria’s most serious economic distortions, noting that the root of the problem lies in the absence of a legal framework regulating labor, which directly affects state institutions.
He explained that this absence opens the door to disparities and discrimination among employees, a form of discrimination he described as one of the main factors that generates resentment and hostility inside institutions, leaving productivity at its lowest levels.
Al-Jamous added that the discrimination seen today, based on political backgrounds and other factors, is a stain on the dignity of Syrian employees. It has fueled widespread frustration, undermined fairness among workers, and entrenched constant comparisons between salaries paid in dollars and those paid in Syrian pounds. This, he said, leads to negligence and low productivity, weakens workers’ sense of human worth, and pushes them toward negative behavior such as corruption, bribery, lack of seriousness, and weakened belonging to institutions, ultimately affecting the government sector’s role in building the national economy.
Discrimination that weakens belonging
More than one currency is being used to pay salaries in Syria’s public sector. Older employees are still paid in Syrian pounds, while new employees’ contracts stipulate payment in US dollars. This has created distortions in salary structures within the same institution and negatively affected job performance, according to university professor and economist Dr. Majdi al-Jamous.
He warned that one of the most dangerous economic outcomes is the deepening of “dollarization.” Paying wages in dollars, he said, drives prices toward dollar denominated pricing, weakens the Syrian pound’s role as a medium of exchange, and has psychological effects that generate feelings of exclusion, disengagement, and declining performance.
This reality removes the ability to assess performance and distinguish between employees based on competence. It also eliminates incentives for workers to be capable or productive, leading to a lack of seriousness and weaker institutional belonging, and ultimately harming state institutions.
Al-Jamous stressed that no economy can be built without solidarity among workers and a unified sense of belonging to their institutions. The absence of social justice and exclusionary thinking, he added, creates class divisions within institutions, undermines their role in building the national economy, and blocks any genuine administrative reform.
Raises in some sectors but not others
Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh said that one stage of salary increases in Syria includes targeted raises for specific sectors, such as the judiciary, education, health, and oversight bodies.
Al-Jamous said announcing salary increases for certain sectors, such as justice and education, without including others like tourism and agriculture, creates a clear disparity and a rift among employees, keeping productivity at minimum levels.
In his view, any raise cannot be considered a real increase, because outcomes are always judged through comparisons between employees, regardless of competence or experience.
Syrians flock to exchange currency in Damascus, 4 January 2025 (Enab Baladi, Ahmad Maslamani).
Key impacts of fragmented pay structures on the national economy and the state’s governance capacity
According to Yasser al-Mishal, PhD in financial and monetary economics at the Faculty of Economics at Damascus University and vice dean of the faculty, the most prominent impacts include:
Distorting the labor marketLarge wage gaps for the same job or qualification lead to a “brain drain” from service ministries with lower pay to authorities or sectors that offer higher salaries. This creates overstaffing in some institutions and shortages in others, weakening the quality of essential public services such as education and health.
Uneven erosion of purchasing powerWith the severe inflation waves Syria has experienced, groups with low, fixed wages, such as long serving government employees, see their purchasing power erode far faster than those earning higher wages or salaries linked to the dollar. This widens class gaps and pushes large segments of the population below the poverty line.
Weaker motivation and productivityWhen employees feel there is no fairness or recognition, morale and productivity decline. This sense of “injustice” undermines loyalty to the institution and opens the door to administrative corruption and the search for alternative income sources, negatively affecting the efficiency of the state apparatus.
More complex fiscal policyMultiple salary tables make it difficult for the Ministry of Finance to draft an accurate, unified budget. Any broad wage increase, such as the recent 200% and 400% raises, can also have unpredictable inflationary effects if not carefully designed, because it injects liquidity into the market without a parallel rise in production.
Social tensionsSharp income disparities among state employees create a sense of injustice and inequality, which can fuel social tensions and weaken trust between citizens and state institutions.
Temporary flexibility in hiringNewer contracts, which are relatively high paying, may allow the state to attract certain expertise urgently and temporarily without changing the general pay scale. But this is a short term fix that creates structural problems in the long run.
Legal aspects of the wage disparity problem in public institutions
Salary disparities between employees governed by the Basic Workers Law No. 50 of 2004 and staff who previously worked under the “Salvation Government” formed in Idlib in 2017 before the former regime’s fall, and who were appointed into public institutions after Syria’s liberation and the ousted regime’s collapse, have raised legal and social questions about the legitimacy of this disparity and its impact on workplace fairness and institutional stability. The issue also points to a violation of the principles of equality and equal opportunity at a time when Syrians are facing intense economic and living pressures.
A legal opinion on employee categories
Administrative law scholar Dr. Mohammad al-Hussein, an administrator at the National Institute of Administration (INA), who worked for decades as a professor at Damascus University and served as head of the State Council until 2015, believes the issue must be addressed within a clear legal framework, either by amending existing legislation or by issuing special texts to regulate such exceptional cases, rather than leaving them to administrative interpretations that may disrupt workplace fairness and undermine trust in public institutions.
Regarding those recently appointed who previously worked in the Salvation Government in northern Syria, al-Hussein said there are two categories:
Those who were originally public sector employees under the former regime, then left to the north and later returned. The state should regularize their status and treat them as if they had remained in service, especially if they held positions serving the community during that period, provided they pay the social insurance contributions owed. This would count toward their seniority. Those newly appointed who were not previously public sector employees. Their appointment should be fully subject to the Basic Workers Law, which defines job categories, hiring conditions, wages, promotions, and rights.The dilemma of new appointments
Hiring employees coming from northern Syria who worked under the Salvation Government in Idlib, or those on new contracts, at salaries higher than their counterparts in public institutions creates a dual legal dilemma. Al-Hussein said the legality of these appointments and their conditions, and the legitimacy of the salaries and benefits granted to them, are in any case governed by the Basic Workers Law.
Article 10 of Syria’s Constitutional Declaration issued in March 2025
Citizens are equal before the law in rights and duties, without discrimination based on race, religion, gender, or lineage.
Article 15
Work is a right of the citizen, and the state guarantees the principle of equal opportunity among citizens.
Al-Hussein considers that granting newly appointed employees higher salaries than those set out in wage schedules violates the law, unless done within a tightly regulated framework that requires official approvals and amending the law itself, or issuing a special decree, similar to executive decisions that sometimes raise salaries for all state employees, as happened in 2025 through a presidential decree raising salaries by 200% for civilian and military public sector workers.
He reiterated that the Basic Workers Law does not give public administrations in any institution absolute authority to set wages. Rather, it binds them to specific salary tables and enshrines the principle of equal pay for equal work. Violating this principle, he said, disrupts workplace fairness and has negative consequences for the performance and stability of public institutions.
A former Salvation Government employee: My appointment offer was $700
Enab Baladi attempted to survey the views of several former Salvation Government employees, now working under the transitional government, who are paid in US dollars. Some declined to speak. However, “M. A.,” who asked that his name not be published for administrative reasons, and who is a first category employee in Rural Damascus governorate and previously worked for the Salvation Government, said no one from that group is to blame for wage disparities, because salaries under the ousted regime were extremely low.
He said the $700 salary he receives today was not his personal decision, but part of the appointment offer under the contract presented to him by the institution where he was hired. He added that the offered salary at the time was lower than his current pay, saying, “I do not want any sensitivities with my colleagues. We all know the salary gap is large and upsetting to others, and we fully understand how our colleagues feel about the significant disparity in pay within the same institution.”
He added that while he supports the principle of equal rights, “in the end we want to stay in these institutions and be part of them without tension with our colleagues.” He said he has household and family obligations and cannot give up any amount of his salary individually, because this is the contract he signed. He noted that despite his higher salary, he has no health insurance, no social security, and no promotions.
He argued that the solution is not to blame one group or another, but to issue a clear law that addresses this imbalance in a fair and gradual way that preserves everyone’s rights and does not create confrontation inside institutions.
Syrians flock to exchange currency in Damascus, 4 January 2025 (Enab Baladi, Ahmad Maslamani).
The two jobs, closed and open
Administrative law scholar Dr. Mohammad al-Hussein, an administrator at the National Institute of Administration (INA), said amendments to the Basic Workers Law were nearly finalized before the former regime’s fall as part of a draft law on public service and job ranks. He added that the current government is moving toward a public service law based on the concept of an open position rather than a closed one.
He explained that a “closed position” is one that includes retirement, promotions, and job grades, while an “open position” is a fixed term contract with a specified salary, without retirement benefits or promotions.
Al-Hussein said, “It seems this remains a draft law and has not yet become enforceable legislation. Therefore, all workers should, or must, be governed by the Basic Workers Law.”
From the perspective of international norms, al-Hussein noted that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization have affirmed the principle of equality and non discrimination in pay and employment for workers worldwide, which aligns with the principles of Syria’s Constitutional Declaration.
He concluded by stressing that building the state begins with building fair institutions grounded in the rule of law. Any violation of the principle of equality in pay and employment rights, he said, negatively affects development, stability, and trust in institutions. Therefore, addressing this file must take place within a clear legislative framework that achieves justice, preserves workers’ dignity, and serves the public interest.
How salary differences affect international grants
International grants play a vital role in supporting Syria’s exhausted economy in this phase, especially in financing the wage bill.
Yasser al-Mishal, PhD in financial and monetary economics, explained how wage structure disparities affect these grants through several points:
Difficulty identifying eligible recipients and payment mechanisms: Donors and UN programs that administer these grants prefer a clear and transparent salary structure to ensure support reaches those entitled to it. Chaos in salary structures complicates verification and increases the risk of misallocation or corruption, which may make donors hesitant. Donor conditions tied to reform: International aid often comes with economic and structural reform plans. Donors may pressure the government to unify and reform the wage system as a core condition for sustainable financial support, to ensure fairness and efficiency. Directing grants to specific sectors: Because of these complexities, grants are often directed to priority sectors such as health and education, where spending can be monitored more effectively. While this can benefit these sectors, it may increase disparities with other sectors that do not receive similar support. Risks of dependence on aid: Heavy reliance on external grants to cover salaries makes the economy fragile and vulnerable to political shifts or “donor fatigue.” Such assistance is a temporary solution that does not address the roots of the structural economic crisis.Economic researcher Mulham al-Jazmaty said institutions that support salaries or the continuity of services are highly sensitive to any arrangement that may be perceived as discriminatory or unsustainable.
When wages differ inside the state, he explained, financing salaries becomes more complex, because any support directed to a specific institution or program may be seen domestically as strengthening one group over another. This often pushes donors to be cautious or to limit their support to narrow, temporary frameworks. That weakens the ability to build a stable, long term wage policy and makes the grants themselves less sustainable. He stressed that any external support should be managed within a transparent national framework aimed at reducing gaps rather than widening them, and clearly explained to employees and public opinion.
Syrians flock to exchange currency in Damascus, 4 January 2025 (Enab Baladi, Ahmad Maslamani).
Psychological and social effects of the absence of pay fairnessWorkplace fairness in wages is one of the key determinants of occupational mental health. Pay is not only an economic resource, it is also perceived psychologically as social recognition and as a symbolic value attached to effort and professional identity.
Psychological consultant Dr. Hiba Kamal al-Arnous told Enab Baladi that the absence of workplace fairness in salaries and wages leads to the accumulation of deep psychological scars, with effects that extend from the individual to the professional group and then to the broader social structure.
According to al-Arnous, pay fairness is not an administrative detail that can be postponed. It is a matter that touches the core of the working person and their psychological dignity. When fairness is absent, she said, we do not only lose productivity or talent, we lose the meaning that makes work a human space rather than merely a struggle for survival.
She noted that protecting mental health in the workplace starts with recognizing that a person is not a tool of production, but a being who needs fairness to remain able to give. Work built on justice, she said, does not only produce employees, it produces more cohesive societies that are better able to endure.
Economist Mulham al-Jazmaty reinforced this view, noting that salaries in the transitional phase are not merely an income issue. They become a silent benchmark of the new state’s fairness. When clear wage gaps appear within the government apparatus itself, this does not only affect employees’ living standards, it has a direct impact on how public administration functions.
An employee who performs work similar to a colleague’s but receives far lower pay begins to view the state as unfair, which weakens trust in the institution.
With limited real opportunities for mobility, this disparity turns into chronic frustration within traditional service institutions. It is reflected in declining motivation and commitment, rather than an orderly exit of talent. Over time, this frustration seeps into the day to day performance of services and becomes a hidden burden on the economy, because weak public administration raises the cost of any economic policy and reduces its effectiveness.
At the same time, al-Jazmaty said, it cannot be ignored that some post conflict governments resort to higher wages in certain institutions for practical reasons, namely the urgent need to attract competent staff capable of managing complex files and building new structures, especially from abroad.
This option may be understandable as a temporary solution to overcome the fragility of the phase, he said, but it becomes problematic when it continues without clear rules. It creates a sense that the greatest burden of rebuilding the state falls on employees whose sacrifices are not reflected in their wages, generating a silent social grievance within the government apparatus.
At the level of the individual, the professional group, and society
A persistent feeling of material injustice and lack of recognition directly affects one’s sense of professional self, al-Arnous said. The worker begins to develop a negative internal image of their competence and the value of their effort. This erosion of self esteem is often accompanied by:
A growing sense of worthlessness and futility. Chronic livelihood anxiety linked to economic insecurity. Depressive symptoms ranging from frustration to loss of meaning. Burnout resulting from long term exhaustion without fair compensation.In the Syrian context, these symptoms intensify due to severe economic pressures, turning workplace injustice into a chronic psychological stressor that individuals have little safe space to release.
At the level of the professional group, she said, the absence of pay fairness is closely linked to higher levels of chronic frustration that often turn into indirect aggression, such as sarcasm, passive resistance, and unspoken obstruction, as well as erosion of trust among colleagues and between staff and management, and weaker professional bonds and collective solidarity. Psychological residues appear in daily behavior inside institutions, such as emotional withdrawal, lower initiative, indifference, or internal conflicts that reflect suppressed tension more than genuine professional disagreements.
Al-Arnous explained that the effects of workplace injustice do not stop at the institution’s boundaries. They extend to weakening institutional belonging and eroding trust in social justice more broadly.
The Syrian local dimension in community based psychological analysis
In Syria, the absence of workplace fairness intersects with prolonged economic and social crises, making it a compounded pressure factor on workers’ mental health. Workplace injustice overlaps with high living costs, limited job alternatives, and constant fear of losing employment, generating a sense of learned helplessness, where the worker feels unable to change or even object.
She said Syrian workers live a psychological contradiction between the forced need to keep working and a deep sense of lost professional dignity.
Recommended institutional policies
Al-Arnous recommended that institutions adopt a set of policies:
Adopt a clear framework for workplace fairness: Establish written, transparent standards for setting salaries and wages based on the nature of work and responsibilities, qualifications and experience, and the level of effort and psychological pressure associated with the job, helping reduce perceived injustice. Strengthen organizational transparency: Transparency in explaining pay and promotion mechanisms is a protective factor for mental health and reduces rumors, negative comparisons, and interpersonal tensions in the workplace. Integrate the psychological dimension into administrative decisions: Management should consider the long term psychological effects of material injustice, not only the institution’s immediate financial balance.Syrians flock to exchange currency in Damascus, 4 January 2025 (Enab Baladi, Ahmad Maslamani).
Proposed steps to correct the imbalanceReal solutions to the pay scale crisis require political will, financial resources, and comprehensive reform, according to the economists who spoke to Enab Baladi. They also require a strategic vision that combines urgent measures with deep, long term reforms. The proposed plan, Damascus Faculty of Economics Vice Dean Yasser al-Mishal said, should be gradual and practical, and can be summarized as follows:
Phase one: Urgent measures
Form a national committee for wage reform: It should include experts from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Administrative Development, independent economists, and representatives of employees. Its task would be to develop a clear roadmap. Conduct a comprehensive salary survey: Establish a centralized, unified database for all public sector workers, including those on different types of contracts, to accurately document current gaps. This step is also necessary to expose “ghost employees” and rein in spending. Freeze hiring through new special contracts: Temporarily halt contracting under exceptional pay tables to prevent the problem from worsening, except in extreme necessity and with central approval.Phase two: Structural reform
Design a new, unified pay scale: This is the core of the reform. The new scale should be based on objective criteria such as: Job evaluation: Determine the value of each job based on responsibilities, required qualifications, and the effort involved, not only academic degree. Experience and competence: Link promotions and allowances to performance and actual experience. Risk and specialization allowances: Provide additional compensation for jobs requiring rare skills or involving risks, such as judges, doctors, and engineers in remote locations. Comprehensive restructuring (ending the one size fits all worker system): As some government plans have indicated, Syria should move toward flexible pay structures tailored to each ministry or sector, but within a unified national framework that guarantees fairness and prevents stark disparities. Address the status of current employees: Move employees from old tables to the new pay scale gradually and fairly, while ensuring no employee is harmed, by preserving the higher of the two salaries during a transitional period.Phase three: Sustainability and oversight
Link wages to productivity and inflation: Create a mechanism for periodic salary reviews tied to inflation rates and economic performance indicators to protect purchasing power. Strengthen transparency and accountability: Publish pay tables transparently and activate financial and administrative oversight bodies to prevent future violations. Develop the state’s own resources: Real reform cannot be completed without boosting state revenues by combating corruption, improving tax and customs collection, and encouraging productive investment to build an economy capable of paying fair and sustainable wages.Addressing the salary rift is not merely an economic step. It is a foundation for rebuilding trust, achieving social stability, and establishing a modern, effective public administration capable of leading Syria’s recovery and reconstruction phase.
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