President Bashar al-Assad reshuffled his cabinet Saturday as the country is in the depths of an unprecedented economic recession because of the violence gripping Syria for nearly two years.

The latest government reshuffle focused on finance and social affairs portfolios, AFP reported.

The World Bank says the country's gross domestic product has shrunk by 20 percent, and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) puts unemployment at 37 percent and possibly hitting 50 percent by the end of 2013.

Assad changed seven ministers, the official SANA news agency reported.