Oil and gas remain the main economic drivers in Libya. In 2024, the sector accounted for about 65% of GDP, 93% of exports and 72% of government revenue. This concentration creates strong exposure to oil production, conflict, institutional disputes and exchange-rate changes, while generating fewer jobs across the wider economy than its economic weight suggests. Agriculture, construction, vehicle repair, care and health services, trade, manufacturing, ICT, digital services and small businesses offer broader diversification and job-generation potential, especially where reconstruction and private investment progress. Public employment and informal work dominate the employment structure. A 2023 World Bank assessment placed more than 85% of the working population in public and informal sectors combined, while the private sector represented about 14% of the workforce in the latest country overview. Informal work can be short-term, casual or paid by the day, often without a clear contract or reliable social protection. Public jobs generally offer greater income security and non-wage benefits, while local private firms commonly pay less and may provide less predictable conditions. Law No. 16 of 2023 sets employee minimum salaries and wages, but a reliable nationwide comparison of current wages is not available. The 2024 dinar devaluation also creates a risk that nominal pay increases will not preserve purchasing power. Published unemployment figures are not one unified current series. Estimates range from about 15% to 19.6%, depending on the source, year and definition. A 2023 World Bank estimate was 19.6%, while a 2025 United Nations socioeconomic report estimated about 15%. The same United Nations reporting placed youth unemployment among people aged 15 to 35 at about 48%; a 2024 indicator showed female youth unemployment at 68.8% compared with 41.5% for males. Labor-force participation figures also vary between datasets, including approximately 49% overall in 2022 and a 2024 indicator of 32.8% for women and 63.3% for men. These differences reflect separate statistical series rather than a precise change that can be assumed without checking the source. Women are concentrated particularly in public education, administration and health services, and social expectations, care duties, limited private-sector access and skills mismatch affect their entry and progression. A university degree is a strong predictor of employment, but the transition from education to work remains weak. Technical and vocational pathways are provided through the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Education, technical colleges and institutes, Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation training centres, and other programs. Employers nevertheless report that graduate skills do not consistently match private-sector needs. Construction trades, agriculture, automotive work, care and health, ICT, digital skills, entrepreneurship and marketing are repeatedly identified as practical training priorities, although Libya has no current unified public register showing exact demand by occupation. Conditions differ by region. Tripoli and the western region, Benghazi and the east, and Misrata and the central-western region are major employment and service centres. Sebha and the south face weaker demand, access barriers, institutional gaps and local security or social constraints. Migrant workers and jobseekers also cluster in urban and coastal areas because jobs and services are more available there. Conditions in Tripoli cannot be treated as a national benchmark because regional statistics remain incomplete. Jobseekers can use Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation employment offices, registration services, Labour Market Authority support and the national labour-market information portal developed with the General Information Authority. Youth Employment One Stop Shops operate in Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha. In 2023, the program reported 642 youth participants in training and 435 in career-readiness activities covering areas such as CVs, cover letters, interviews, information technology, e-marketing, graphic design and mobile maintenance. Training or registration improves access to opportunities but does not guarantee a job offer or a fixed placement time. Libyan jobseekers may combine these services with applications to public and private employers, technical training, small-business activity or self-employment. The Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation regulates employment services, workforce development, inspection, occupational safety and health, and foreign-worker procedures. The Labour Market Authority supports labor-supply and demand information, national and foreign-labor substitution, private-sector matching and small-business support. Labour Relations Law No. 12 of 2010, as amended in 2016, covers contracts, employment offices, vocational training, leave, medical and social care, termination, domestic services, disputes and inspection. Law No. 3 of 2024 amended Social Security Law No. 13 of 1980. These formal rules have greater legal force than informal practice, while enforcement and institutional coverage remain uneven. Employers also have duties concerning occupational safety, information and training. Foreign workers form a structural part of Libya’s labor supply. Legal employment normally requires employer approvals, a contract, work authorization and a work card under Ministry of Labour procedures; the government also applies policies that prioritize the national workforce and encourage substitution where applicable. Irregular migration is handled outside the Ministry’s ordinary labor-market mandate. The International Organization for Migration recorded 824,131 migrants from 47 nationalities across 100 municipalities in November and December 2024; 79% reported steady employment, and almost half of employed men worked in construction. DTM data for March to May 2024 recorded unemployment of 23% among migrants without a work permit compared with 6% among those with one. These figures do not establish a universal placement rate or a general fee waiver. Oil-output disruptions, conflict, central-bank decisions, infrastructure damage and security conditions can change labor demand quickly. Libya’s estimated 2025 recovery of roughly 13.3% to 13.4% GDP growth, including oil GDP growth of about 17.4%, does not by itself show broad or stable employment expansion because medium-term growth remains strongly hydrocarbon-led. Diversification depends on functioning institutions, infrastructure, security, credit, foreign-exchange access, small-business development and better links between training and employer demand. No unified current national registry reliably compares vacancies, wages or skills by city and occupation, so applications and career plans should be checked against the specific region, employer, contract and current conditions.
Labor market in Libya
Libya’s labor market connects people seeking work with employers, public institutions and training providers, but access differs sharply by sector, region and status. Oil and gas dominate national income, while public employment and informal work account for most jobs; private firms provide a smaller share and often offer less secure pay. Young people and women face especially high barriers, and education does not always match private-sector demand. Formal employment services, technical training and authorized work arrangements for foreign workers exist, but coverage and implementation vary across Libya.
Tip
Treat Libya’s labor market as several different paths rather than one national market. Choose between public employment, formal private work, training, self-employment or short-term informal work according to your need for stability, income, skills and legal protection, then verify the conditions in your specific city. Do not rely on a national wage, vacancy or placement assumption that cannot be checked for the employer and region concerned.