First Elements about the Problems of the Cohabitation of Generations within Companies in Lebanon

Abstract

In Lebanon, the global unemployment rate affects 25% of the working population (figures from the Ministry of Labor 2014 cited by Ghosn, 2015). Young people aged from 20 to 29 are rather excluded from work in the country with an unemployment rate of 42% in 2012 (Ghosn, 2015). The youth unemployment rate was 32.8% (20-24 years) and 21.6% (25-29 years) according to the latest known statistics in Lebanon (CAS Report 2009, p.22). In 2016, the unemployment rate among young Lebanese is the highest among the Arab countries with 30% of unemployed (Belga, 2016). The nature of intergenerational relations in Lebanese companies is slightly studied till now. Our work will highlight the main factors explaining the oppositions or exchanges between young and older in companies in Lebanon. We conduct a quantitative study using questionnaire administered to the CEOs of engineering and food industry firms. Our two samples consist of 147 engineering firms and 150 food industry firms. Concerning intergenerational oppositions, the results show that older employees criticize young people for their weak attachment to the company and to the work in the sector of engineering. For their part, young people holders of higher diplomas than seniors accuse them of incompetence at work and vice versa in the food industry. Concerning intergenerational exchanges, older people are helping young people experiencing difficulties in the workplace and the existence of shared moments between older and young people has been noted as positive in the food industry sector.