How is the introduction of flexible work changing Lebanon’s Labor Law?

In May 2025, the Lebanese Parliament approved amendments introducing flexible work provisions into the Lebanese Labor Law No. 23/1946, following a proposal submitted 4 years earlier by the Parliamentary Committee for Women and Children. The amendments, though introduced after a considerable delay, came amid the growing challenges faced by workers.

What is flexible work and what do Lebanon’s 2025 Labor Law amendments change?

According to Lebanese University (LU) Professor of Law Dr. Rosaline Moubarak, who spoke to The Beiruter, understanding flexible work requires first clarifying who is protected under Lebanese labor legislation. Despite its broad name, Labor Law applies specifically to employees ("الأجراء") operating within a relationship of legal subordination to an employer, distinguishing them from independent workers or freelancers.

Traditionally, Lebanese courts relied on several criteria to determine whether a worker was an employee, including the workplace, working hours, personal execution of tasks, and the employer’s authority to provide instructions and impose disciplinary measures. However,

Technology has changed the traditional concept of work.

The 2025 amendments integrated flexible work arrangements into the existing law by expanding the definition of an employee. The amended provisions recognize as employees who work for remuneration on a full-time, part-time, seasonal, or remote basis, even when they use their own equipment to perform their duties. For Dr. Moubarak, this was a significant development because the use of personal tools previously served as an argument to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees.

The amendments recognize several forms of flexible work:

Part-time employment: where workers perform fewer hours than full-time employees while maintaining proportional rights.

Remote work: allowing employees to work outside the employer’s premises while remaining subject to labor protections.

Seasonal work: covering employment linked to specific periods determined by the nature of the activity.

Compressed work schedules: which allow employees to complete their weekly hours over fewer working days.

The importance of flexible work provisions and their potential benefits

Dr. Moubarak asserted that the main objective of the amendments is to bring emerging employment models under the umbrella of labor protection. Before these changes, many workers operating through flexible arrangements risked remaining outside social security coverage and legal safeguards.

The flexible work provisions can expand protection to workers previously outside the legal framework.

The amendments confirm that flexible workers should benefit from the same fundamental protections as traditional employees, including wages, social security coverage, protection against arbitrary dismissal, equality, non-discrimination, and collective organization rights.

Dr. Moubarak explained that the recognition of part-time work is particularly important because many women have historically relied on reduced working hours due to family responsibilities. The amendments allow employees to move from full-time to part-time work through oral or written agreements, including workers pursuing education for a maximum period of 2 years and mothers following maternity leave for up to 1 year.

The reform also addresses remote work, which expanded globally during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Dr. Moubarak, remote work challenged the traditional assumption that physical presence at the workplace was necessary to establish an employment relationship.

Legal ambiguities and implementation challenges remain

Dr. Moubarak argued that the amendments leave several practical questions unanswered, stressing that Lebanon’s main challenge has historically been weak enforcement mechanisms.

One major concern relates to part-time employment. Although the amendments regulate part-time work, Dr. Moubarak warned that insufficient safeguards could allow employers to misuse the system by converting full-time positions into part-time arrangements to reduce salaries and obligations. She argued that part-time contracts should have been required to be written rather than allowing oral agreements, as written documentation provides stronger protection during disputes.

The amendments define part-time work as between one-third and two-thirds of normal working hours, but questions remain regarding salary calculation and monitoring. A worker classified as part-time could potentially perform duties equivalent to a full-time employee without receiving equivalent compensation.

Part-time work should not become a way to reduce workers’ rights.

Dr. Moubarak added that working hours also remain an area requiring clarification. Labor Law sets a maximum of 48 working hours per week. However, Dr. Moubarak noted that international obligations and existing ministerial decisions create complexities regarding maximum daily working hours, particularly when applying compressed schedules.

Remote work also raises new challenges, especially concerning the boundary between professional and private life. Dr. Moubarak highlighted the growing international debate over the “right to disconnect,” permitted in Europe, allowing employees to stop responding to professional communications outside working hours.

Remote work blurred the line between professional and private life.

Furthermore, Dr. Moubarak argued that “many workers simply do not know their legal rights,” a gap that prevents them from effectively asserting their entitlements through legal channels and ultimately undermines the protection of those rights.

The future of work and the need to balance employer authority with workers’ rights

The evolution of employment models requires Lebanon to rethink labor protection beyond traditional categories. Dr. Moubarak warned that technological platforms and digital work arrangements may gradually push more workers outside the scope of Labor Law.

For Dr. Moubarak, the future of labor regulation requires integrating human rights principles into employment law. Regardless of whether an individual is classified as an employee or independent worker, she argued that minimum social protections must be guaranteed. Lebanon’s obligations under international human rights instruments, including the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and International Labour Organization (ILO) standards on decent work, require a broader approach focused on dignity, equality, health, and social security.

At the same time, labor regulation must preserve economic activity and investment. Dr. Moubarak highlighted that Labor Law exists to balance two legitimate interests: the employer’s freedom to manage and invest, and the worker’s right to protection. Excessive restrictions may discourage investment, while insufficient protection may expose workers to exploitation.

In this sense, Lebanon’s 2025 amendments introducing flexible work provisions represent an important attempt to modernize the country’s Labor Law and respond to changing employment realities. Nevertheless, Dr. Moubarak contended that

If Labor Law does not evolve, fewer workers may remain protected.