Professions in Syria

The Arabic term مهنة means occupation, while حرفة commonly refers to a trade and اختصاص to a specialty. Occupational activity is classified through SYRSIC, the Syrian Standard Industrial Classification, which groups economic activities rather than certifying individual workers. Its chapters cover agriculture, manufacturing, construction, trade, transport, accommodation and food, information and communications, finance, education, health, public services and other sectors. Practical demand is especially high in reconstruction and repair work, agriculture and agri-food, textiles and garments, health, teaching, transport and logistics, retail, ICT and technical services. Common trade tasks include masonry, carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, sanitation, solar installation, welding, aluminium work, painting, machine maintenance, sewing and food processing. Evidence from Aleppo highlights weaving, textile work, food processing, blacksmithing, mechanics and carpentry. Recent assessments also identify food processing, textiles, chemicals, plastics and engineering as significant areas. These findings are strongest for Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Hama and should not be treated as a national ranking for every governorate. Many general trades are learned through informal on-the-job training, family networks or self-employment. A formal apprenticeship uses a written Arabic contract. The competent minister determines eligible occupations, age limits, duration, training stages and remuneration. The final apprenticeship stage must pay at least the minimum wage for the same occupation, and the employer issues a completion certificate authenticated by the competent Directorate of Social Affairs and Labour and the Ministry. Technical and vocational education and training, usually called TVET, follows a written training contract with a qualified trainer and a suitable company or training centre. The minister sets the occupations, curricula, examinations and certificates, while training centres require a licence. A skill assessment can lead to a degree authenticated by the Directorate and Ministry, although national schedules and fees vary. Regulated professions require a separate pathway. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, law, engineering, accounting and some other fields may require a university qualification, recognition of a foreign qualification, supervised practice and a practice licence called مزاولة المهنة. Professional syndicates and sector ministries have a decisive role. For example, veterinary applicants must complete two years of supervised practice and livestock-sector courses under the 2025 rule. Foreign human-medicine graduates may need 12 months of امتياز or internship for equivalence where the applicable rule requires it. Legal court experts need Syrian or equivalent status, civil rights, at least five years of practice, health fitness, a clean record, a certified degree and supporting syndicate or employer documents. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, known as MOSAL, regulates labour and training matters through directorates in all 14 governorates. Public employment agencies issue an unemployed registration certificate free of charge on the filing date, and the labour-market platform reactivated in 2025 provides matching, training, qualification and skills services. Non-Syrian workers need a minister-issued work permit tied to the employer and activity; fees, reciprocity and quotas follow ministerial rules. Arab Palestinians covered by Law 260/1956 are treated as Syrian nationals for this purpose. Recognition of certificates and practice documents can still depend on the issuing authority, document verification and the governorate or institution involved. Formal-sector workers generally receive a written contract in three Arabic copies, with the employer filing it within three months. The statutory baseline includes a maximum effective working time of eight hours per day and 40 hours per week, breaks of at least one hour after no more than five consecutive hours, and at least 24 hours of weekly rest after no more than six consecutive working days. Overtime is paid at the regular hourly rate plus 25% during the day, 50% at night and double pay on official holidays. Employers must provide protective equipment, safety training, first aid and hazard controls without charging workers. The Labour Law does not cover every worker: civil servants, agricultural workers governed by agricultural-relations rules, domestic workers, casual workers, some family members of employers, charity-organisation workers and part-time workers working no more than two hours per day follow different or weaker protection arrangements. Working conditions can also be affected by damaged infrastructure and machinery, electricity and fuel shortages, restricted market access, import and export barriers, skills gaps and informal employment. The General Organisation for Social Insurance, or GOSI, is responsible for social insurance and contributes to occupational-safety oversight. Employers with more than 50 workers must allocate at least 1% of payroll to training, and employers must provide training when technology or job roles change. A recognised certificate or authenticated skill assessment can support wage work or self-employment, but it does not guarantee a job or automatic promotion. Higher professional roles may require further supervised practice, specialist training or residency. For a specific occupation, check the competent MOSAL directorate, training provider, professional syndicate or sector ministry rather than relying only on the occupation name. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research handles higher-education equivalence, the Ministry of Health handles health-sector licensing and quality matters, and the Ministry of Justice handles court-expert registration. Current reforms seek unified TVET governance, clearer institutional roles, accreditation, quality assurance and a national skills database, but coordination remains fragmented. Training-centre fees, equivalence charges, syndicate fees and practice-licence costs depend on the authority and profession.