Employer in Syria

The Arabic term صاحب العمل (sahib al-amal) means employer. An employer may operate through a company, family business, public or private institution, cooperative, mixed enterprise or civil-society organization. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour (MoSAL) is the main national authority. Labour Directorates in the governorates handle registration, advice and mediation, while the Central Directorate of Labour covers industry and commerce and the Central Directorate of Agricultural Relations covers agricultural work. During the political transition since December 2024, regional and de facto responsibilities require local verification. Formal hiring normally requires the employer to report the employee's hiring, start date, wage and position to the responsible authority within 15 days. Employee information must also reach the relevant Labour Directorate within 15 days. Employers submit personnel, vacancy, employment and forecast reports in January and July. Public employment services and ministerially licensed private employment agencies provide recruitment channels. Private agencies must report monthly to the Public Employment Agency. Foreign workers require a work permit. A written employment contract should be prepared in three Arabic copies. A non-Arab worker should also receive a copy in another language. The contract states the parties, workplace, duties, duration, wage and benefits, and working hours. Syrian law recognizes fixed-term, indefinite and job-specific contracts. A probation period may last up to three months and may be used once with the same employer. One contract copy must reach the Social Security Directorate within three months. The employer organizes work, assigns responsibilities according to qualifications, provides suitable working conditions and arranges training where needed. Duties also include keeping personnel registers, displaying required information, holding worker meetings, protecting dignity and avoiding insults, registering workers for social security, providing health care and issuing an end-of-service or release certificate. Transport or a transport allowance may be required for a remote workplace, and food may be required in circumstances covered by the applicable rules. Employers with at least 15 workers need internal regulations and a penalty list; the Ministry has 45 days to review them, after which they may take effect automatically under the stated procedure. Personnel files should be kept for at least one year after the contract ends. Occupational safety and health duties apply across public, private, cooperative, mixed and civil-society workplaces. The employer assesses risks, takes preventive measures, provides personal protective equipment free of charge, gives safety training and maintains first-aid arrangements. A workplace with at least 15 workers needs an occupational safety and health committee; a smaller workplace needs a designated technician. Workplaces with at least 15 workers also need fire-safety and emergency plans. A site with 100 to 200 workers at one location or within 15 kilometres needs a nurse and physician, while a site with more than 200 workers needs additional specialist treatment. Work accidents and occupational diseases must be reported to MoSAL within three days. The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) registers establishments with at least five workers, and social-insurance contributions are compulsory. GOSI also has occupational-safety inspection responsibilities, which overlap in practice with MoSAL functions. Inspection is largely complaint-based, coverage is limited and no complete private-establishment register is available. Employers should budget for contributions, protective equipment, training, transport, health care and fire safety. Current contribution rates and fines should be confirmed with the responsible authority rather than taken from older 2010 figures. Workers have the right to join a trade union. The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) is the main worker-representation body, and the law provides for a Consultative Council for Labour and Social Dialogue. Collective bargaining can take place at company, sector, occupation, industry, governorate or national level. An establishment with at least 50 workers requires a trade-union committee and an employer representative. In a smaller establishment, the employer and five workers may participate through the union. A collective agreement must be written in Arabic, submitted for approval within 15 days, registered and published by the Ministry within 30 days, and may last no more than three years. Dialogue was reactivated and expanded in 2025, but its practical reach remains regional and sector-specific. An individual dismissal dispute normally goes first to mediation at the responsible Labour Directorate within 10 days. The mediation attempt may last up to one month; an unresolved dispute can proceed to court. Collective disputes generally move from bargaining to mediation for up to 30 days and then to arbitration. The first arbitration hearing should take place within one week, and a decision is generally issued within three months, subject to possible extension. A registered arbitration award is binding. A total or partial shutdown or downsizing requires economic necessity and an application explaining the reasons, supporting evidence and affected worker categories. A tripartite committee reviews the proposal within up to 30 days, and the Minister decides within 15 days. If no decision is issued within 45 days, the shutdown may proceed under the stated rule. Selection may consider seniority, family responsibilities, age, capacity and skills. After a partial shutdown, reassignment or contract changes may be possible, but pay may not fall below the occupational minimum. A worker may end the employment relationship in this situation and receive compensation of one month's pay per year of service, up to six months. A shutdown application cannot be made while mediation or arbitration is pending. Employers operate in a difficult recovery environment marked by skills shortages, infrastructure, energy and financing constraints, and fragmented public-private coordination. A 2025 ILO survey covered 140 operating factories in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Hama, but its findings do not represent every governorate. Family-business employment has grown substantially compared with 2010, and services accounted for 64% of male and 86% of female employment in 2022; data gaps mean that no precise current informal-employment share can be stated. Employers should therefore verify local authority, registration, insurance, safety and labour-dispute procedures before acting.