Livelihoods & Labour Rights

This paper looks at “informal employment” through the lens of workers in the food and beverage service industry (mainly waiters and bartenders) in Lebanon in 2022/2023. It focuses on the labor conditions and multiple challenges faced by these workers, as well as the impact of “informal employment” on the professional and personal lives of these workers in times of economic crisis.

This report analyzes the impact of the multilayered Lebanese economic crisis and its major macroeconomic shocks on the social protection landscape in Lebanon. It aims to examine the social protection mechanisms and effective health care systems and coverages in Lebanon, amid an ongoing social and economic crisis hitting the country since the financial collapse of late 2019. The study is based on a survey conducted between July and August 2022, with a nationally representative sample of 1,327 respondents of Lebanese nationality.

This policy report analyzes the winding road towards an agreement between the IMF and Lebanon, since the request of the government for IMF support, going over main conditions required by the IMF and their high social cost. The report critically highlights the risks of adopting one-size-fits-all austerity measures - as suggested by the IMF - and argues for the necessity to adopt a more integrated approach to the diagnosis of the crisis, and recovery and reform plan, beyond mere financial and macro-economic indicators. It concludes with recommendations tailored to the Lebanese context.