Damascus, March 25 (SANA) Syria’s Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh said Tuesday the government is pressing ahead with a broad overhaul of public sector wages, emphasizing that the reforms are being financed through state revenues rather than borrowing or currency issuance.
Speaking in an interview on Syrian state television, Barnieh said a 200 percent general salary increase approved last year for public employees and retirees was implemented alongside targeted pay rises for “sensitive positions,” starting with the Ministry of Justice, to help reduce corruption risks.
He said the government aims to complete the wage reform under a gradual plan designed to create a fair system that meets the needs of all workers, adding that salaries are fully funded through state resources without resorting to debt or monetary expansion.
Barnieh added that oil and gas revenues will be incorporated into the state budget, marking a shift from previous practices of the deposed regime, and said targeted increases have so far covered between 85 percent and 89 percent of administrative sector employees.
Under presidential decree No. 67, an additional 50 percent increase was granted to employees not included in earlier targeted raises. The government also plans to introduce further adjustments for retirees, Barnieh said.
The minister said wages and salaries accounted for 41 percent of total spending in the 2025 state budget, adding that spending on social sectors exceeded that on security sectors, which he described as a new approach.
Barnieh added that Saudi Arabia and Qatar had provided financial grants totaling $86 million to support wages, saying that the reform would enable ministries to improve performance and service delivery.
On the economy, he said the government sees the state, the private sector and Syrians at home and abroad as partners in reconstruction. He noted that more than 30,000 partially damaged facilities could generate hundreds of thousands of jobs once restored.
He added that recent presidential decrees on tax exemptions and non-performing loans aim to facilitate the reopening of these businesses and support economic activity.
Barnieh said Syria did not borrow any funds in 2025, noting that external support came in the form of grants from the World Bank rather than loans. He said the government is not currently seeking borrowing but has not ruled out concessional loans for strategic projects.
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