This year’s International Workers Day on May 1 comes to remind Iraqis of the conditions their workers endure, the difficulties they face in their everyday lives and their ability to economically integrate into society.

There are compounded problems that Iraqi workers must contend with which make their situation worse than it already is, especially in a society completely dependent on one source of revenue, namely oil. The near-total absence of many productive sectors and a state dependent on revenue from oil resources have all led to the rise of consumerism on many levels.

Furthermore, productive industrial and agricultural projects are in a state of stagnation, which drives workers to seek refuge in government jobs.

A source on the governmental Appointments Committee told Al-Monitor that “the state employs approximately four million people, which makes Iraq the country with the most government employees relative to its population in the region. This constitutes an administrative weight that prevents the establishment of a dynamic and diverse economy.”