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Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a decree mandating a 200% increase in base salaries and wages for all state employees, according to a statement from the presidency released on Sunday.
The raise covers both civilian and military personnel working in ministries, public administrations, state institutions, public-sector companies and enterprises, administrative units, as well as joint-sector entities in which the state holds at least a 50% stake.
The increase also extends to all temporary and daily workers, including substitutes, casual laborers, seasonal employees, contractors, and those hired under service contracts or administrative agreements. It also applies to part-time workers and those paid by output, fixed, or variable wages, the statement added.
The decree stipulates that the increase will automatically apply to contracted Syrian employees and those in equivalent positions, provided their agreed-upon salary does not exceed the monthly wage of permanent employees with the same qualifications working for the same public entity.
Finance Minister Mohammad Yasser Barniyeh stated that work on implementing the salary increase had been underway for weeks and months, culminating in this decision, which effectively triples the base salary. “An employee who used to earn 400,000 or 500,000 Syrian pounds will now receive 1.2 million or 1.5 million,” he said, describing it as an unprecedented raise in the history of salaries and wages in Syria.
He emphasized that the goal is to improve living standards and help stimulate economic activity. “We are hopeful and optimistic that this measure will contribute to raising living conditions and revitalizing economic operations across Syria. This is a very important step in boosting the economy,” he added.
Addressing the issue of citizens struggling to access their salaries, Minister Barniyeh said, “We are fully aware of the significant hardship employees and retirees face when collecting their pay.”
He noted that during a meeting held Tuesday at the Ministry of Finance—with the participation of banks, exchange companies, the Ministry of Communications, and the Central Bank of Syria—several measures were agreed upon.
Some of these will be implemented in June, while others are scheduled for next month, all aimed at facilitating the salary disbursement process and sparing citizens from having to wait for hours. The goal, he said, is to ultimately resolve the issue completely.
The decision comes as part of a series of government measures aimed at improving citizens’ living standards amid the country’s ongoing economic difficulties.
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