After more than a decade of conflict, Syria seeks to enter the era of digital transformation to compensate for what it missed in institutional modernization and job creation for its youth. However, these ambitious efforts collide with harsh economic and technical reality. At the beginning of 2024, the Syrian government launched an electronic payment system for its services as a step towards digitizing transactions, but it faced repeated failures that made it a clear example of the difficulty of digital transition in an unprepared environment. Power outages, weak communications, and infrastructure collapse during the war led to the disruption of the new electronic system for banks and government services multiple times under the pretext of "maintenance," and dozens of services that were claimed to be electronically available stopped with it. Even some government banking applications failed to work reliably, forcing citizens to return to traditional methods to pay their obligations for fear of missing deadlines. This bitter experience prompted local experts to criticize the government's haste in imposing digital services without preparing the necessary infrastructure; Damascus University economics professor Shafiq Arabash pointed out that the country is not ready for this transition at this pace, confirming the absence of the minimum requirements for infrastructure and financial inclusion for the desired transformation to succeed. On the other hand, the government began to realize the magnitude of the challenge. The new Minister of Communications, Abdul Salam Haykal – a private sector figure who took office hoping to inject an innovative spirit – quickly involved Syrian expatriate competencies in the ministry's plans. In an official visit to Jordan in 2025, Haykal met with an elite group of Syrian technology experts abroad, calling on them to return or work remotely on national digital transformation projects. The visit also resulted in Syria's announcement of rejoining the global GSMA telecommunications association after lifting a ban that lasted ten years, meaning Syria's openness to the latest international standards in the cellular communications sector and enabling its companies to access global technologies and expertise. These steps, though symbolic, give a glimmer of hope that the wheel of digital transformation has begun to move – albeit slowly – on more realistic foundations including advanced legislation, international partnerships, and local capacity building.
Digitization Projects Between Ambition
and Obstacles
It can be said that digital transformation in Syria is still in its initial establishment phase, where institutions are feeling their way through clouds of structural and human challenges. In terms of government services, there are scattered efforts to automate some transactions – such as issuing passports electronically or digitizing civil records – but a clear national roadmap is still absent. The absence of this unified vision weakens coordination between different departments and makes each institution work in isolated islands without effective database linking. Added to this is the acute shortage of digital skills among personnel working in the public sector; most employees still lack even basic computer skills, let alone advanced digital transformation specializations. Current training programs, if they exist, are often short and insufficient, making human resource development one of the biggest obstacles to institutional digitization. The solution proposed by experts includes launching sustainable national training programs – such as digital academies in cooperation with universities and technology companies – focusing on areas like cybersecurity, data analysis, platform management, and artificial intelligence. These specific areas represent real needs that emerged with the limited implementation of digital projects; for example, the disruption of the government electronic payment system highlighted the importance of having specialists in information security and server maintenance to ensure service continuity.
On the contrary, the scene is not devoid of bright spots. The holding of the International Conference on Digital Transformation in Damascus in 2025 – for the fourth time – reflected official insistence on keeping pace with global transformations. The conference, which carried the title "The Impact of Digital Financial Inclusion on Economic Growth," coincided with positive news about lifting some international sanctions and restoring banking communication through the SWIFT system. The conference organizers indicated that Syria's restoration of its global financial and commercial links would open new opportunities for investment in the digital economy and entrepreneurship. The event also witnessed the participation of Arab and foreign experts and representatives of regional institutions, indicating Syria's desire to benefit from successful external experiences. In addition, other sectors began to move: the Ministry of Communications is working to enhance cybersecurity through updating legislation and establishing a specialized national center, and plans were announced to develop digital infrastructure through partnerships with regional and international companies (such as updating fiber optic networks and marine connection stations) to digitally connect Syria between East and West if conditions permit. These trends indicate an increasing awareness that digital transformation is not just an administrative luxury, but a strategic necessity to achieve economic development and attract investments. Without digitizing government services and financial and business sectors, Syria will remain behind in a regional environment that is accelerating towards the digital economy.
Job Creation Opportunities: Syrian
Experience Compared with Lebanon
and Iraq
Digital transformation in Syria raises a fundamental question: Does this transformation provide new job opportunities that contribute to reducing unemployment and driving the economy? The answer has multiple aspects. On one hand, the partial digitization of the Syrian economy so far has led to the emergence of new employment patterns, most notably the spread of remote work and the flourishing of freelance work platforms on the internet among youth. According to a recent report, a large number of Syrians (especially in the age group 20-40 years) resorted to the outsourcing economy and independent work through platforms like Khamsat, Mostaql, and SyrianLancer, seeking better income and flexibility in light of low local job salaries. The numbers of these remote workers specifically increased after a government campaign to reduce the workforce and lay off thousands of public employees as part of administrative reform plans, pushing many to digital retraining and turning to online work. Freelance platforms provide opportunities in programming, design, content creation, translation, marketing, and other fields, and have already become an effective alternative to compensate for the public sector's inability to create decent jobs. This shift in work culture is one of the positive side effects of leveraging technology, as thousands of Syrians were able to earn income in dollars or hard currencies without needing to leave the country, benefiting from the digital gap that allows exporting skills across borders.
On the other hand, the government is betting that major digital projects can create direct local job opportunities in the technology sector. The AI-Syria 2025 Artificial Intelligence Summit held in Damascus under government sponsorship explicitly aimed to support young talents and integrate them into the digital economy, and organizers announced that it could be a starting point for implementing projects that lead to creating tens of thousands of new job opportunities in the Syrian technology sector. This ambitious number is linked to expectations of expanding activity of software companies, e-commerce, and technical services in case of successful digital transformation. We can look at the experiences of nearby countries to foresee the possibilities: in Lebanon, for example, despite its crisis, the growth of e-commerce and remote work after 2020 contributed to finding alternative job opportunities for a number of youth either by launching their own projects or joining startups serving external markets. The continued reliance on digital means for marketing and selling in Lebanon also strengthened supporting sectors such as delivery services and electronic payment, which began employing hundreds despite all challenges. As for Iraq – a country emerging from conflicts itself – it adopted a clear strategy for digital transformation that contributed to enhancing financial inclusion and creating jobs in the financial technology field. The Iraqi Central Bank made a bold decision to obligate all state institutions to transition to electronic payment and stop cash transactions starting from mid-2025, leading to a huge acceleration in the growth of electronic payment operations in both public and private sectors. The number of government institutions relying on electronic payment systems rose to 600 institutions by 2024. These transformations in Iraq required employing technical cadres to manage electronic financial platforms and smart card systems, and Baghdad even announced a project to issue a national electronic payment card before the end of 2025 to strengthen the digital financial infrastructure. Such projects undoubtedly provided job opportunities for programmers, data analysts, cybersecurity specialists, system managers, and other modern technical professions.
For Syria, these regional experiences can be inspired to formulate a local model that links digital transformation to job creation. When external banking communication returns and electronic payment services expand, local banks and telecommunications companies will need qualified employees to manage and maintain the new systems. When the government launches electronic service platforms, demand will arise for technical support specialists and user experience designers to ensure service quality for citizens. Additionally, digital entrepreneurship itself creates indirect opportunities: every new e-store or local service application employs developers, marketers, and possibly delivery representatives. Therefore, investing in technical infrastructure and updating laws is not only aimed at facilitating citizens' lives, but is essentially an investment in a new job market that will grow around the technology economy. Perhaps the most important lesson Syria can learn from its neighbors is that digital transformation is a comprehensive process that requires an integrated vision: in Lebanon, for example, the absence of government support limited the positive impact of youth digital initiatives, while in Iraq, digital transformation was coupled with central leadership from the central bank and clear state policies, which accelerated the benefits.
In conclusion, digital transformation in Syria after the war represents an economic glimmer of hope despite all obstacles. It carries a promise of creating jobs and enabling a new generation to work in modern sectors, but this promise is conditional on building the right foundations. If Syria can strengthen communication and electricity networks, train its young cadres in digital age skills, and establish partnerships with Arab and international technology companies – as it has begun to do through its conferences and diplomatic communications – it may shorten years of development and catch up. If it fails, technologies will remain limited to individual initiatives here and there without broad developmental impact. The challenge is great but the opportunity is equally historic: either digitization becomes a locomotive for economic reconstruction and providing job opportunities for ambitious youth, or it remains just a ringing slogan in plans without actual implementation on the ground.
References
- Al Jazeera Net – In the Shadow of Conflict Environment.. What Are the Chances of Digital Transformation Success in Syria?
- UltraSyria – Communications Minister Explores Employing Syrian Expatriate Competencies in Digital Transformation
- Yalla Syria – Fourth International Conference on Digital Transformation Launches in Damascus: New Horizons for Syrian Economy
- An-Nahar – Digital Transformation in Syria: Realistic Challenges and Promising Opportunities in Reconstruction Phase
- Al Jazeera Net – In Syria: Remote Work as Effective Alternative to Jobs Despite Obstacles
- Al Jazeera Net – Labor Protests in Syria and Government Confirms Seeking to Improve Efficiency
- Anadolu Agency – Damascus.. Launch of Artificial Intelligence Summit in Syrian Capital
- Ashraq Business – Iraq Plans to Enhance Electronic Payment and Reduce Cash Transactions
- Al Jazeera Net – Iraq Launches Project to Issue Local Electronic Payment Card
- NRT TV – Rise in Number of Government Institutions Relying on Electronic Payment to 600