Economic burden in Iraq.. and the reason is the official holidays

2024-10-17 2024-10-17T17:49:15Z

Arab Weather - For several months, Iraq has been witnessing heated discussions about the official holidays law, as the issue has turned into a crucial economic issue. Economic statistics have indicated that official holidays cost the Iraqi state about 34 trillion dinars ($26 billion) annually, according to what economic expert Nabil Al-Marsoumi confirmed in a post on his Facebook page.

The economic impact of public holidays in Iraq

Al-Marsoumi explained that the total annual salaries of employees in Iraq amount to about 90 trillion dinars ($69 billion), and that the total number of official and unofficial holidays, including weekly holidays (Friday and Saturday), amounts to 140 days annually. The daily cost of these holidays amounts to about 246 billion dinars ($187 million), while the annual cost amounts to 34 trillion dinars ($26 billion).

Public Holidays Law

Last May, the Iraqi parliament voted to amend the draft law on official holidays by adding the Eid al-Ghadir holiday. Over the past 16 years, the parliament has held several sessions to discuss the law, but these discussions have not solved the problem of the large number of holidays, but rather have made it more complicated. Every religious or ethnic component in Iraq demands the addition of new holidays, which has increased the dispute over religious occasions, such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and the Prophet’s birthday holiday.

Holiday demands were not limited to Muslims only, but included all Iraqi components. The Christian component is demanding 7 days of holidays, including Christmas, Easter, and the Babylonian-Assyrian New Year (Akitu). Followers of the Yazidi religion are demanding 15 days of holidays, including their own religious occasions such as the Yazidi fasting festival and the summer forty days. As for the Mandaeans, their total holidays are 13 days, including the festivals of Creation, Dhurba, the Little Festival, and the Golden Baptism.

The impact of holidays on the Iraqi economy

Economist Abdul Salam Hussein points out that the number of holidays and events in Iraq exceeds 170 days annually, costing the state treasury more than 52 trillion dinars ($40 billion). These costs put pressure on the general budget and negatively affect the national economy. Hussein stressed that discussions about official holidays have been affected by sectarian and political differences between the various components, making reconsidering this issue a major challenge.

Suggestions to reduce costs

Hussein suggested solutions to ease the financial burden, including replacing Saturday with Thursday as a working day. He also pointed out the problem of job slack in some government departments, where some employees hold their positions despite being over 80 years old and suffering from health problems, which negatively affects the national economy and deprives unemployed youth of job opportunities.

Productivity challenges in government institutions

For his part, economic advisor Alaa Al-Fahd downplayed the figures presented regarding the number of official holidays, noting that the real problem lies in the low productivity of employees in government institutions. He added that the costs of operating employees, including energy and fuel costs, exceed the service and productivity provided. Al-Fahd stressed the need to address these problems to improve productivity, noting that holidays are not a negative phenomenon in themselves, but rather the problem lies in how resources and productivity are managed during work days.

The necessity of reforming the functional system and productivity

Al-Fahd stressed the importance of addressing the issue of job slack and improving productivity in government institutions. He pointed out that some countries grant their employees three days off per week with the application of online work and the e-governance system, which helps improve productivity and provide better services, which could be a model for reforming the job system in Iraq.