The International Labor Organization (ILO) has recently released a report on the local labor market titled “Lebanon's labor market in crisis: Assessing the impacts of renewed conflict and regional instability”. In detail, the report presents the findings of a survey conducted by the ILO in May, in partnership with the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers (CGTL) and the Federation of Employees’ and Workers’ Unions in Lebanon (FENASOL). The survey covered 2,485 private-sector workers, including both employees and self-employed individuals, who have been in the workforce prior to the recent resumption of the conflict in March 2026. Women accounted for 30.1% of the respondents, while persons with disabilities represented 3.1% of the sample. Lebanese nationals comprised 71.9% of those surveyed, followed by Syrian refugees who accounted for 20.1% while the remaining 8.0% consisted of Palestinian refugees and other nationalities. As for the findings, the survey revealed that the conflict has inflicted “substantial employment losses” with 33.0% of the surveyed sample reporting they were no longer working at the time of the survey. Of these, 28.2% were classified as unemployed, while the remaining 4.7% had exited the labor force, noting in this regard that displacement was one of the major drivers of unemployment as more than two-thirds of surveyed workers who remained unemployed at the time of the survey were displaced. The report added that while job losses were concentrated in conflict-affected areas (76.5% and 43.2% in the Nabatieh and South regions respectively) other governorates such as Akkar (13.7%) and the North (9.1%) for example witnessed significant levels of job losses on the back of a depressed demand, sluggish economic activity, inflationary pressures and wider market disruptions. In addition, not all sectors were equally affected, with the real estate (60.0%), arts & entertainment (60.0%), domestic work (51.7%) sectors reporting the highest levels of job destruction. Along the same lines, the survey revealed that vulnerable groups were most impacted by job losses citing in this regard people with disabilities (71.4%), women (44.3%), youth (42.4%), Syrian refugees (39.4%) and employees holding informal jobs (37.7%).

The survey also identified the main barriers preventing affected workers from returning to employment. The lack of suitable job opportunities emerged as the primary obstacle, cited by 68.1% of unemployed respondents, with the challenge being particularly pronounced among Syrian workers (86.1%). Displacement and relocation also significantly hindered re-employment, affecting 43.2% of unemployed respondents, while 16.2% reported that security concerns prevented them from returning to work. Among those who had exited the labor force, displacement remained the most commonly cited barrier (55.1%), followed by “waiting to be recalled by a previous employer” (44.1%). Women also faced additional challenges in re-entering the labor force, with household and family responsibilities representing a major obstacle, alongside financial constraints such as the inability to afford transportation and other work-related expenses. The report added that for those who found a new job, re-employment often came at the expense of lower earnings and poorer job quality. On average, workers who changed jobs earned 30.7% less than their previous positions.

Beyond job losses, the conflict had a significant impact on workers’ income and job quality. Average labor income among those who remained employed declined by 14.8%, with the overall reduction was estimated at 40.4% once the complete loss of earnings among workers who became unemployed is taken into account. Income losses were particularly severe among workers with disabilities and migrant workers, while more than one-quarter of employed respondents reported working fewer days or shorter hours. At the same time, job insecurity remained widely spread, with only 7.4% of employed respondents expressing strong confidence in the stability of their jobs.

The survey also highlighted the limited availability of formal support, forcing many households to rely on savings, family, and community networks to cope with income losses. More than 40% of Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian respondents reported delaying loan repayments or household bills, while government financial assistance reached only a small share of affected workers (4.0% for Lebanese workers).  Employer support also remained limited, benefiting only 10.8% of surveyed employees, although it was considerably more prevalent among larger enterprises and among Lebanese workers (12.7% received support vs. 9.4% of Syrian workers and 4.5% of Palestinian workers). Assistance mainly took the form of temporary shelter and financial aid. Looking ahead, the survey showed that recovery needs remain substantial, with almost half of respondents identifying access to stable employment as their top priority, followed by the need for higher and more stable earnings. Many also expressed a need for financial support to establish or sustain small businesses, underscoring the continuing challenges facing Lebanon's labor market recovery.