After six years of exhausting shifts, sleepless nights, and long hours on duty, Shokh Abdullah decided she could no longer continue working at a private hospital for a low salary and resigned.
Her experience reflects a broader problem facing private-sector employees in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI, where workers often receive lower wages and fewer benefits than their counterparts in the public sector, despite performing similar duties. Beyond inadequate salaries, many are also deprived of essential protections, including social security and adequate leave entitlements.
According to KirkukNow, significant disparities persist between public and private institutions across healthcare, education, and other sectors, particularly in wages, working conditions, employee rights, and job security.
Shokh experienced these inequalities firsthand during her six years at a private hospital in Sulaimaniya northern province. She worked more than 16 night shifts each month, with each shift lasting 12 hours, for a salary of less than 600,000 Iraqi dinars IQD (USD400).
“We didn't have maternity leave. When I quit, I didn't even have social security,” she said.
While many private-sector employees endure long working hours, low wages, and limited access to basic employment protections, public-sector workers generally benefit from greater job security, more extensive leave entitlements, and opportunities for promotion. However, government employees also face challenges, including delayed salary payments caused by the financial crisis.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) reported that the unemployment rate in Iraq has risen from 9% in the early 1990s to 14.2% in 2021.
Of Iraq’s 40 million people, approximately 9.2 million are employed. The country’s economy remains heavily dependent on the state, with the oil sector generating around 85% of government revenue. Meanwhile, public-sector salary expenditure has risen sharply, with the government now spending four times as much on salaries as it did 15 years ago. In 2020, approximately three-quarters of total state expenditure was allocated to paying public-sector employees.
Different Working Conditions in the Same Profession
The contrast between the two sectors is evident in the healthcare industry. Ashti Ahmad, who has worked at a government hospital for more than 15 years, works three days a week, from 8 am until 12:30 p.m.
Her working schedule differs considerably from that of many private-sector healthcare workers, who often face longer hours and fewer employment benefits.
“I get a month's leave every year and I have maternity leave and I have no problems,” she told KirkukNow.
I get a month's leave every year and I have maternity leave and I have no problems
Sindus Rafiq, another private-sector healthcare worker, told KirkukNow that she works 16-hour shifts without social security or maternity leave.
“Every day I can't go to work, they deduct my money or I have to put someone in my place,” she said.
Such conditions leave private-sector employees with limited financial security and little protection when illness, family responsibilities, or other circumstances prevent them from working.
Public-sector employment, meanwhile, is not without difficulties. The financial crisis has resulted in prolonged salary delays, while promotions and salary increases have been suspended under government decisions. Nevertheless, public employees generally retain employment protections and benefits that are unavailable to many private-sector workers.
Iraq has witnessed a sharp increase in national poverty rate from 20% in 2018 up to 31.7% in 2021and the total number of poor to 11.4 million as a socio-economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, shows an assessment by the Iraqi Ministry of Planning with the support of UNICEF, World Bank, and Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative.
Inequality Extends to the Education Sector
The disparity between employees also exists within public education, particularly between permanent and contract teachers.
Permanent teachers are entitled to family and child allowances, promotion opportunities, and access to administrative positions such as school principals and assistant principals. Contract teachers, by contrast, are excluded from several of these benefits and career opportunities.
Salary differences are also substantial. Contract teachers with diplomas receive approximately IQD400,000 per month, while those holding bachelor's degrees earn around 500,000. If granted permanent positions, employees with comparable qualifications can receive salaries ranging from 650,000 to 700,000.
Maternity leave also differ significantly. Permanent employees are entitled to one year and 72 days of fully-paid leave, according to the figures reported. Contract employees receive two months and 21 days before childbirth, followed by 51 days after childbirth with pay, in addition to two months of leave at half pay.
Sick leave provisions further highlight the disparity. Teachers and permanent employees are entitled to one month of sick leave with full pay and another 45 days at half pay. With approval from a medical committee, they may also qualify for up to two years of leave with full pay.
These differences demonstrate how employment status can determine not only workers' incomes but also their access to healthcare-related leave, family benefits, and long-term career development.
Private-sector employees cannot have 100 percent peace of mind
Limited Job Opportunities and Growing Uncertainty
The unequal conditions have encouraged many young people and university graduates to seek government employment, which is generally viewed as offering greater stability and more comprehensive benefits.
However, according to the report, the last official recruitment process took place in 2013 under that year's budget law, and no comparable official recruitment process has occurred since.
Dr. Karwan Hama Salih, economist, told KirkukNow that the lack of security in the private sector is a major factor behind the growing disparity.
“The main reason for this difference is that the private sector in the Kurdistan Region is not secured in any way. Private-sector employees cannot have 100 percent peace of mind and be sure of their future,” he said.
He also noted that unemployment and reduced working hours in government institutions have pushed some public employees to seek additional work in the private sector.
Over the years, tens of thousands of unemployed university graduates have staged demonstrations in cities and towns across the region, demanding employment opportunities and greater attention to their economic difficulties.
Salih argued that the region lacks an effective decision-making body dedicated to developing the private sector and encouraging young people to establish their own businesses.
He added that the repeated closure of companies and factories discourages young people from pursuing private-sector careers and undermines their confidence in the stability of available jobs.
Wage Disparities Also Affect the Media
Economic inequality extends beyond healthcare and education, affecting media organizations and journalists as well.
Differences in salaries have prompted some journalists to change employers in search of better compensation. According to the report, one journalist may earn 700,000 dinars per month, while another journalist performing comparable work at a different outlet may receive two or three times that amount.
Salih explained that the absence of a consistent system for regulating private-sector wages, combined with the government's inability to guarantee timely salary payments to public employees, creates difficulties across both sectors.
Without effective policies to protect private-sector workers, establish fairer pay structures, and ensure the timely payment of public salaries, economic inequality is likely to remain a persistent challenge.
Ultimately, the divide between public and private employment is about more than differences in monthly income. It affects workers' job security, family welfare, access to essential benefits, and confidence in their future. Addressing these disparities will require stronger employment protections, more effective oversight, and policies that promote fairness across both sectors.
