Lebanese president: Get a job and save the country

Lebanese President Elias Hrawi said that expatriates who work in Lebanon transfer $4 billion annually out of the country, and special measures should be taken to limit the outflow of this money.

Hrawi urged the Lebanese people to take these jobs themselves instead of the foreigners, especially in the agriculture and construction sectors.

The $4 billion represents over a quarter of the Lebanese gross national product, which is estimated at $15 billion.

About 1.25 million expatriates work in Lebanon according to the Arab Labor Organization.