2 January 2104:
In relation to your article about salaries totalling LD 27 billion (LD 27 bn paid in salaries to . . .[restrict]1.7 million public employees; 25 December 2103), I have the following to comment
If there are around 200,000 duplicated jobs, it is safe to assume that the LD 27 billion is divided between 1.5 million people. This would average an annual salary of LD 18,000, i.e. a monthly income of LD 1,500. I think this is far higher than what most people are paid, especially when a large number of government employee are in the education sector – where almost all are paid less than LD 800 a month.
Further worrying is that Libya suffers from bad schooling, bad hospitals, bad public services, bad public maintenance and bad public security.
If you add the LD 19 billion of subsidies, this brings the total paid out to LD 46 billion. – 70 percent of the budget.
For Libya to produce this income, it will need to be selling oil at $100 a barrel and at close to 1.2 million b/d. This is just to sustain salaries and subsidies.
Where will Libya come up with the money next year? There is no happy end in sight. Will people react once it is too late? Or are things deteriorating at a slow enough pace that people are simply adapting to the new harder life?
Yours, etc.
Jumal
Email address supplied [/restrict]
