Background

The July 2006 war in Lebanon resulted in an urgent need to re-establish conditions for people to earn an income and rebuild their livelihoods. The conflict weakened substantial segments of the country’s economy, directly affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens. Furthermore, the absence of well-developed social security policies and mechanisms also threaten the livelihoods of a growing number of vulnerable workers. The rate of unemployment in Lebanon has phenomenally increased due to the slow economic and fiscal recovery in addition to the recent wave of external shocks first from high international oil and food prices and then from the world-wide economic declines. Therefore, in the perspective of post crisis economic reform, the ILO in coordination with the Lebanese Government concluded that there was a need for an enhanced public employment service strategy and for the implementation of active labour market policies. Through the implementation this strategy an increase in job creation is expected through labour market mediation, skills training and re-training, the adoption of employment-intensive investment approaches and local community and economic development.

Objectives

This project contributes to raising the level of employment to reduce poverty. It focuses on institutional capacity building, labour market intermediation services, information system development and promoting self-employment opportunities by:

• Increasing the institutional capacity of the National Employment Authority (NEA) to assist unemployed and underemployed workers, and ensure efficient and equitable provision on employment related services at the national and local level;
• Improving connectivity of various municipalities, employers and job seekers to a general network of employment-related information;
• Promoting self-employment opportunities for men and women through the establishment of successful small enterprises and improve the business/enterprise skills of people in general.

Expected results

By the end of the project, employment opportunities for unemployed and underemployed workers will be enhanced through improved labour market governance at the national and local levels. In addition:

• Employment services programs and interventions designed and implemented, including job search assistance and employability counselling programs and services. Consequently, job seekers and the unemployed will have acquired the skills and knowledge to find work independently, and develop a plan of action leading to employment.
• Country wide labour market information network established. LMIS pointer system exists and effective in reducing time for employers to locate suitable employers as well as shortening the job search period for workers by strengthening the labour market intermediary system and increasing the number of job placements.
• Computer assisted occupational information system developed and standardized, used effectively by employment counsellors.
• Entrepreneurship training program implemented to increase the participants’ success rate in their enterprises.
• A cadre of trainers prepared on all aspects of public employment services delivery system to fully implement relevant trainings in the future and to ensure project sustainability.