Iraqi lawmaker says hidden unemployment has bloated state payrolls

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Former Iraqi lawmaker Abbas Sarut has warned that hidden unemployment has accumulated across Iraq’s ministries and state institutions, accusing successive governments of expanding payrolls without regard to operational need. Sarut said many appointments have been made to absorb unemployed graduates rather than to match actual institutional requirements, noting that the private sector has failed to generate sufficient jobs. The policy, he added, has turned state institutions into the main source of income for millions of families while swelling the bureaucracy, driving up wage costs and weakening institutional performance. The former lawmaker outlined three recommendations: adopting a unified salary scale to narrow pay and allowance gaps; redistributing staff between ministries based on experience, seniority and responsibility; and reassigning employees to roles aligned with their actual expertise to improve productivity. Sarut said public sector employment is no longer a sustainable jobs channel, calling instead for policies to revive the private sector and offer graduates genuine work opportunities. Years of unchecked hiring have steadily increased Iraq’s public workforce and wage bill, intensifying long-standing demands for public administration reform and a stronger private-sector role in job creation.