Youth unemployment: Lebanon’s silent emergency

Source: Nida Al Watan

As economic contraction persists and Lebanon’s productive capacity continues to decline, unemployment has become one of the most severe structural imbalances in the country’s labor market. The absence of accurate official data, coupled with the growing size of the informal economy, has obscured the true scale of the crisis. Commonly cited indicators often reflect only visible unemployment, overlooking hidden unemployment resulting from precarious work, unstable jobs, and irregular sources of income.

The widening gap between the expanding supply of labor, particularly among university graduates, and limited demand in a shrinking job market has driven unemployment to unprecedented levels, especially among young people.

Within this landscape, Father Tony Khadra, president of the Labor Foundation (LABORA), breaks down the reality of unemployment in Lebanon, exposing gaps in official numbers and outlining the profound economic and social costs of a labor market in decline.

A labor market that no longer absorbs its youth

Khadra said that “actual unemployment in Lebanon is estimated at around 38 percent. While there are no precise official statistics, field indicators confirm this figure, which is in itself extremely high and socially dangerous. Among young people, the situation is even worse, with unemployment reaching approximately 53 percent, meaning that more than half of Lebanese youth are currently outside the labor market.”

On whether published unemployment figures reflect reality or underestimate the problem, Khadra stressed that “hidden unemployment is far greater.” A large segment of the population is not counted as unemployed despite lacking stable jobs or regular income.

He explained that many people work within the informal economy, in temporary or seasonal jobs, or in what is often described as “freelance trade.” In most cases, these activities do not constitute real employment or a primary income that allows for basic living stability.

As a result, Khadra said that accurately measuring unemployment would reveal figures higher than those commonly cited, since a significant portion of today’s workforce remains outside the formal labor market, even if not officially classified as unemployed.

Reading the numbers behind the collapse

Khadra emphasized that the economic crisis has had a profound impact on Lebanon’s economy, particularly the labor market. One major factor, he said, is that a large number of security personnel were allowed to work outside their official duties due to extremely low salaries. This pushed them into the civilian labor market, where they competed with other workers and occupied a significant share of available jobs.

He also pointed to the closure of many businesses or reductions in staffing levels, which further deepened the labor market crisis. “The economic collapse has directly and increasingly affected the labor market year after year, with its consequences worsening rather than easing,” he said.

Khadra noted that approximately 43,000 university students graduated in Lebanon last year, while the labor market was able to absorb only about 4,000 of them. This means that nearly 39,000 young graduates entered unemployment.

Addressing the sharp rise in youth unemployment, Khadra attributed it to several interconnected factors. First, a growing number of people in Lebanon are working multiple jobs simultaneously to secure a basic livelihood, effectively occupying positions that could otherwise be available to younger job seekers.

Second, the number of university graduates has increased significantly each year, while the labor market’s capacity to absorb them remains limited.

Third, low wages no longer provide a decent standard of living or enable young people to start families, weakening incentives to remain in the local labor market.

In addition, rising waves of emigration have pushed many young Lebanese to leave the country in search of employment and stability abroad.

Khadra explained that in 2014, around 36,000 graduates entered Lebanon’s labor market. In recent years, that number has risen to between 39,000 and 43,000 graduates annually. This increase has not been matched by equivalent job creation, creating a widening gap between labor supply and demand and accumulating large numbers of unemployed graduates.

“In 2025,” he added, “estimates indicate that between 39,000 and 43,000 qualified graduates entered the labor market, while the market’s capacity to absorb them remained extremely limited.”

Graduates without a landing place

Amid economic contraction and a shrinking labor market, a fundamental question arises: do university degrees in Lebanon still provide a real gateway to employment, or have they lost much of their value in a stagnating economy?

Khadra argued that university degrees alone are no longer sufficient. “The labor market today requires a range of specializations that universities do not always provide, and some graduates are unwilling or unprepared to work in professional fields outside their academic specialization,” he said.

He stressed the need for strategic planning to expand job opportunities and align university programs with actual labor market needs, creating a better balance between graduate qualifications and available employment.

Leaving to survive

On emigration, Khadra said that large-scale migration, particularly among Lebanese youth to the Gulf, Europe, and the United States, has worsened local unemployment. “Those who remain in Lebanon are often not the most highly skilled, which leaves many unemployed,” he explained.

He warned that the loss of skilled labor deepens unemployment and widens the skills gap in the labor market, a complex problem that is difficult to resolve in the short term.

Khadra described unemployment as one of Lebanon’s most serious social and economic problems. “It does not only affect young people’s livelihoods, but also contributes to the fragmentation of families and communities,” he said.

He noted that in the past, the middle class played a role in supporting more vulnerable groups. Today, that support has largely disappeared, and society is no longer able to fill the gaps, leading to increased poverty.

“We clearly see the effects in rising suicide cases, violence, and family breakdowns,” Khadra said. “Unemployment and poverty have become key factors making daily life difficult and abnormal for many Lebanese.”

He added that unemployment has directly undermined family stability and daily life. Many people are now forced to work multiple jobs to survive, keeping them away from their families and threatening household cohesion. Financial and social instability, he said, harms mental health, weakens physical resilience, and drives unhealthy behaviors simply to meet basic needs.

More than an economic issue

Khadra concluded that unemployment “is not only an economic problem, but a direct threat to social and security stability.” Experiences in developed countries show that lower unemployment leads to greater stability and fewer social and security issues, while high unemployment fuels social and family disorder.

He stressed that reducing unemployment must be a priority for the state, society, and parliament, as it forms the foundation of any economic and social stability. “Unfortunately, this issue does not receive sufficient attention in Lebanon,” he said, contrasting it with countries such as the United States, where reducing unemployment was a central pillar of President Joe Biden’s agenda, contributing to a drop in unemployment from 8 percent to 5.4 percent.