Abstract
This diagnostic study is part of the International Labour Organization (ILO) SOLIFEM project, which seeks to support the transition from the informal to the formal economy through tripartite social dialogue in the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood, with a particular focus on Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). This study seeks in particular to analyse the causes and characteristics of informality in three sectors of the Lebanese economy with high employment rates for youth, or with the potential to increase such rates. Informality is a serious impediment to attaining long-term economic growth and creating enough job opportunities. The expansion of the informal economy, which has been further propelled by the prolonged financial, economic and political difficulties Lebanon has faced since 2019, is an obstacle to workers’ pursuit of decent, formal work opportunities.