Now Reading: War-hit Gulf economies squeeze Lebanon’s creative workers
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War-hit Gulf economies squeeze Lebanon’s creative workers
Lebanese designers, advertisers and communications professionals are losing projects, income and payments as a nearly six-month-old regional war strains Gulf economies, Reuters reports. Gulf clients have postponed work, cut budgets and slowed…
The Story in Brief
Lebanese designers, advertisers and communications professionals are losing projects, income and payments as a nearly six-month-old regional war strains Gulf economies, Reuters reports. Gulf clients have postponed work, cut budgets and slowed payments, while some Lebanese firms have reduced staff. One consultancy reported a 70% revenue fall and halved its workforce. A communications professional estimated a 30% drop in projected income, while a branding expert said opportunities had become rare.
Creative Space Beirut, which offers free fashion courses to disadvantaged students, has enough funds to operate for four more months. Its Gulf donors have reduced or failed to renew contributions, putting scholarships at risk. The school had hoped to raise $500,000 this year. Lebanon’s renewed conflict began after Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran, with more than 4,300 people killed in Lebanon, Reuters says.
The Indian Opinion
The easy story is that Lebanon’s creative sector simply failed to adapt, or that Gulf money will quickly return once the fighting ends. Neither fits the accounts of unpaid invoices, reduced budgets and a school facing a four-month funding runway. Yet the reported losses are individual estimates, not a national survey. The clearer test is whether Gulf clients resume payments and Creative Space Beirut secures enough funding to protect its scholarships next year.
Source: hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com
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