Regional war hits Lebanese employees in the Gulf, from contracts to recruitment

In the design and development teams of a Saudi mega-project, nearly 10 Lebanese nationals — about half of those working on the project — have left. Their contracts, which had previously been renewed annually, are now being renewed for just three months, or not at all, according to Antoine*, a Lebanese manager on the project. “This has created a great deal of uncertainty. Many of them have gone to seek opportunities elsewhere,” he told L’Orient-Le Jour. No Lebanese nationals have been recruited for the project for the past 18 months.This case reflects the situation described by several Lebanese nationals in the Gulf — most of whom are based in Saudi Arabia and the UAE — since the start, in February, of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran and the regional conflict that followed. They report that adjustments are...