Jobs markets around the world have been dramatically impacted this year, and countries like Lebanon have been dealing with an economic crisis long before the pandemic. Lebanese citizens and ex-pats, prompted by a sense of belonging and responsibility to their country, came together to create Jobs for Lebanon in March 2020. Jobs For Lebanon is an online hiring marketplace, powered by SmartRecruiters, where companies can post opportunities for qualified job seekers in Lebanon. The citizen-led initiative has encouraged the 16 million Lebanese diasporas to participate in the country’s economic recovery. With over 100K visitors from 175 countries, including 7,000+ applicants to over 750 jobs, the movement is gaining traction and creating a tangible economic impact that is changing lives.
When Roy Baladi, CSR leader at SmartRecruiters, approached Jerome Ternynck, Founder and CEO of SmartRecruiters, about the opportunity to donate the talent acquisition suite technology for the movement, Jerome did not hesitate. Within the first 30 days of launch, Jobs for Lebanon garnered over 30,000 visitors to the site from 131 countries, 150 jobs were posted, and more than 1,300 candidates applied. Three Arabic teachers, a writer, a salesperson, a listings manager, an environmental scientist, a product manager and more were hired. The site hit viral proportions on social media and quickly became the #1 search result on Google for “Jobs for Lebanon” and “Jobs for Lebanese.”
Then the August 4th incident happened. A devastating explosion rocked the city of Beirut that killed over 200 people, injured more than 5,000 more, and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The Jobs for Lebanon team quickly mobilized their growing network to help rebuild Beirut. They started a fundraising page, and within weeks, raised over $400k and helped organize $12 million of medical and other needed supplies to be flown to Lebanon. They collaborated with local and international initiatives, and along with 20 other NGOs, established a sustainable plan to rebuild. More than 20 members at Jobs for Lebanon began volunteering as a staffing company, taking big steps towards accomplishing their vision. The continued growth of Jobs for Lebanon was a catalyst in supplying NGOs and reconstruction teams with qualified talent to rebuild Beirut quickly.
The Jobs for Lebanon team, now 60+ volunteers, remains committed to helping the country’s job market recover during rebuilding. True to their original vision, they have driven impact to date:
- 100,000+ site visitors from 175 countries
- 750 posted jobs
- 7,000 candidates applied
- 100+ documented hires
- 400+ jobs in an active hiring process
- A partnership with UNICEF to create 100 jobs for at-risk youth
Jobs for Lebanon is one of several CSR initiatives where SmartRecruiters is offering its modern talent acquisition suite to spark movements to connect people to jobs at scale. For more information or get involved, follow SmartRecruiters CSR initiatives to receive regular updates on movements happening around the globe, post jobs on Jobs for Lebanon to hire people with heart, skill, and resilience beyond compare, or donate toward rebuilding broken homes through Jobs for Lebanon’s Beirut Relief efforts.
