Libya

2024 highlights at a glance

🏛️ Political and Economic Landscape: Libya continues to face deep political divisions and economic instability, hindering progress in education, employment and workforce development. Despite increased oil production driving growth of 10.2% GDP in 2023, the economy remains heavily reliant on hydrocarbons, leaving sectors like manufacturing and agriculture underdeveloped. A severe humanitarian crisis persists, with 823,000 people in urgent need of assistance. Long-term stability, reform and economic diversification are vital to support sustainable recovery and development; 

🎓 Education: Libya’s education system remains severely disrupted by political deadlock, conflict and damaged infrastructure. Fragmented governance and acute teacher shortages, particularly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), are worsened by low salaries and poor working conditions. Many communities still lack access to functioning schools. In response, Libya has drafted a 10-year Higher Education and Research Strategy (2024–2034), aligned with SDG 4 (Quality Education), that promotes private sector engagement. The “Schools of the Future” initiative expanded to include early childhood education, while the new Education Management Information System (EMIS) aims to strengthen data-driven policymaking. However, a coherent national education strategy is still urgently needed;

🏫 Technical vocational education and training (TVET): Libya’s TVET system holds potential to strengthen workforce development despite major ongoing challenges. Recent training initiatives in high-demand trades like mobile phone maintenance, refrigeration and vehicle diagnostics reached 6,700 people, including 2,144 women and 193 individuals with disabilities reflecting a growing focus on inclusivity. International partnerships, such as the Libya-German and Libya-Turkish training centres, are helping to support skills development. However, outdated curricula, weak quality assurance and limited resources, coupled with a preference for public sector jobs, continue to limit TVET enrolment and impact;

🛠️ Work-based learning (WBL): A persistent mismatch between educational outcomes and labour market needs underscores the importance of expanding WBL and apprenticeships in Libya. Strengthening collaboration between TVET institutions and businesses could enhance practical skills, align training with industry demands and improve job readiness for young people entering the workforce; 

💼 Labour market challenges: In 2022, the labour force participation rate stood at just 49.1% (58.2% men vs. 39.6% women). Youth unemployment was 23.1%, with young women disproportionately affected (39.2% vs. 18.9% young men). Despite the significant challenges, efforts are underway to revitalise the employment landscape. Public sector wage reforms introduced performance-based bonuses, and the Kafeel campaign (2024) targets 200,000 youth with employment opportunities. The Open Employment Day Initiative with the University of Tripoli promoted private sector integration and practical training, and Resolution No. 148 (2024) aims to boost entrepreneurship among young professionals;

👦 👧 Youth in Focus: Youth disengagement remains a major challenge in Libya, with 29.4% of young people aged 15–24 not in education, employment or training (NEETs). The gap is especially stark for young women, with 35.3% affected compared to 23.9% of men. This highlights the urgent need for gender-responsive interventions. To address this, Libya is investing in youth-oriented digital and technical training, supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship, and promoting the inclusion of vulnerable youth through UN and EU-backed programmes;

💻🍀 Green and digital skills development: To bridge the green and digital skills gap, several initiatives were launched focused on modernising training and aligning it with labour market needs. The €7.15 million EU4Skills (2024) programme supports green and blue economy growth, SME development, and digital and financial literacy. The Mahara ‘Skills’ School, funded by the EU and UNDP, delivers digital training in web and app development, career coaching, and job placement for youth in Tripoli, Benghazi and Sabha, promoting employability in Libya’s technology sector.

Priorities for 2025 and beyond

👉 Stabilising and rebuilding education and training systems

👉 Improving governance and institutional coordination

👉 Enhancing labour market relevance, particularly through support for entrepreneurship, skills development for youth and women, and the formalisation of employment and training pathways.