📰 Salary increases fail to ease economic hardship – Syrian official

damascus, syria (North Press) – Secretary of the Consumer Protection Association in the high-level-syrian-delegation-arrives-in-ankara-for-security-talks/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 High-level Syrian delegation arrives in Ankara for security talks  ">syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian transitional administration, Abdul Razzaq Habza, informed North Press on Saturday that the average monthly expenditure for a family of five in Syria has reached nearly seven million Syrian pounds (SYP, about $625), reflecting a deepening economic crisis and declining purchasing power.   Habza explained that households are facing mounting financial strain, particularly with the approach of winter, as families struggle to secure heating materials, fuel, and winter clothing. He warned that most Syrian families are unable to meet even basic heating needs, predicting that the coming winter “will be especially harsh for low-income households. ”  Habza added that the latest 200 percent public sector salary increase has had little effect in easing the crisis, as the sharp and ongoing rise in prices, coupled with fluctuations in the exchange rate, has severely eroded the real value of wages.

Syria’s economy has suffered a near-total collapse after more than 13 years of crisis, compounded by corruption, international sanctions, and the devaluation of the Syrian pound, which recently surpassed 20,000 SYP to the US dollar in some areas (now, it equals 11,500 SYP). In fact, despite repeated administration promises of reform and wage adjustments, the average monthly income remains far below the cost of living. as per economic observers, even after the latest salary hike, most state employees earn less than one million SYP (about $90) per month—barely enough to cover a few days of basic household expenses.

Additionally, the worsening economic circumstances has forced numerous syrians to rely on remittances from abroad, relief aid, or informal labor, while significant segments of the population continue to face poverty, food insecurity, and inadequate access to essential services. Reporting by Norman al-Abbas Editing by Jwan Shekaki