Supporting employment in Lebanon

Context

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing a severe financial, economic, political, and monetary crisis resulting in high unemployment rates, especially among youth, women and people with disabilities. At the same time, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which form the backbone of the Lebanese economy, face existential threats due to damages to their premises, financial shortages, and operational bottlenecks, all of which threaten jobs for their employees. On the other hand, despite high unemployment rates, companies struggle to fill vacancies. This is often due to a lack of qualified workers or problems in effectively articulating hiring requirements and attracting suitable candidates.

Objective

Young adults, women, and people with disabilities are better positioned in the Lebanese labour market through support from employment promotion actors.

Approach

To create better conditions in the Lebanese labour market, the project:

• Works to improve cooperation between Lebanese employment promotion actors, enabling more effective coordination of integrated, demand-oriented, and gender-responsive services;
• Improves coherence between labour supply and demand through targeted qualification measures, enhancing technical and transversal skills to boost the employability of youth, women and people with disabilities;
• Supports MSMEs in attracting and retaining staff to enhance the competitiveness of MSMEs and improve their ability to maintain or create jobs amidst Lebanon’s crises.

Last update: February 2025