The economic conditions in Lebanon, coupled with high unemployment, increased poverty and escalating inflation rates, continue to further deteriorate due to political unrest and instability. The unemployment rate, which was estimated at 11.4 percent in 2019, has now skyrocketed to over 40 percent.  

To help relieve this crisis, many Lebanese expatriates are assisting by sending medication and basic food necessities. Driven by the saying: “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”, Bernard Chamma chose to focus on job creation to help limit the brain drain from Lebanon and provide North American funded jobs.  

“The goal here is to help young graduates find remote jobs in Lebanon and receive fresh funds to be able to survive these difficult times,” said Chamma during a LebNet interview about his recently launched job creation initiative.   

Under the umbrella of his company, ProBi Solutions - a Business Intelligence consulting firm headquartered in Montreal launched in 2005 - Chamma started a job creation initiative in January 2021 to match his clients in Montreal, Toronto and Boston with talented developers and computer engineers based in Lebanon. 

To help match his clients with their resource needs, he hired a full-time staff of recruiters and sales people in Lebanon to source, train and prepare candidates for the international job market. So far, he has been successful in creating around 20 jobs, a very modest number compared to the ambitious plans that Chamma has for the future.

Coming full circle  

In his effort to hire more candidates in Lebanon and accommodate additional clients abroad, Chamma is hiring more staff in Lebanon to recruit and keep candidates on standby. He spends a lot of effort training candidates on resume writing and job interview preparation to maximize their chances of getting hired.  

He also offers his clients a full commission refund if they are not satisfied with the service.  

“Being physically located and well-established in Canada gives us credibility and attracts clients to work with us. We are expanding and opening offices in Toronto and Boston to get more clients and open more employment opportunities for Lebanese professionals” Chamma said. 

Until now, he has been relying on social media ads, Life Lebanon, LebNet and Jobs for Lebanon to increase awareness. 

A passionate Lebanese at heart 

Like many Lebanese during the eighties, Chamma applied for immigration to Canada while he was still studying Biology at the Lebanese University. When his application was accepted, he moved to Montreal where he switched to Computer Science and Math-Statistics. He then specialized in Business Intelligence Analytics and Data Integration at Concordia University. Throughout his career, he helped many clients design and implement BI solutions projects. He is now focused on creating an impact in his home country Lebanon by porting his business and opportunities there.

Chamma is seeking business partners with a passion for business intelligence and Lebanon, to help him grow the network and help improve the Lebanese marketplace, one step at a time.