Lawmaker says +60% of Iraq's public sector workforce doesn't show up to work

Shafaq News/ A senior Iraqi lawmaker on Saturday said that severe staffing inefficiencies and outdated facilities in the Ministry of Industry are hindering the country's industrial sector.

Muwaffaq Hussein, a member of the Parliamentary Economic Committee, told Shafaq News Agency that the ministry's aging infrastructure and excessive workforce are preventing it from competing with imported goods. "The oldest factory dates back to the 1980s," he said, adding that the ministry's factories are unable to meet modern standards.

"Revitalizing Iraq's industrial sector requires genuine political decisions and will to address the ministry's problems, including restructuring and modernizing factories," Hussein emphasized.

He said that of the ministry's 106,000 employees, only 40,000 are actively working. "The remaining 66,000 employees are not working and are unproductive, which constitutes a form of disguised unemployment in the public sector," Hussein said.

To address these issues, Hussein called for a "comprehensive plan and strong political will to restructure factories and ensure the effective utilization of manpower."