According to the inter-agency household profiling data, only 27% of the adult3 Syrian refugees have worked at least one
Syrian Refugee Livelihoods DEMOGRAPHICS 1,048,275
1
Registered Syrian Refugees
52%
48%
Female
Male
AVERAGE PERCENTAGE OF ADULTS REPORTING WORKING IN PREVIOUS MONTH
53%
A kka r 19%
Children N orth 30%
METHODOLOGY
B a a lbek -E l H ermel 28%
Direct household visits to over half of refugee families B eirut 33%
The household profiling questionnaire is a 45-minute interview that assesses household vulnerability and eligibility for assistance. Every month, 25 partners profile up to 10,000 households, visiting more than 140,0002 households since December 2014. The primary purpose of the profiling exercise is to identify households that are eligible for assistance, and therefore sampled households may be more vulnerable than the population at large. Household visit data is also time-bound: a household visited in February 2015 reporting having a working member in the past 30 days might now not have a working member anymore. Nevertheless, the data collected through this exercise is a relevant source of information, as it represents the reality of more than half of the refugee population.
Mount L eba non 36%
B eka a 21%
% A dults Wo rk ing 19% - 21%
E l N a ba tie h South 38% 36%
21% - 30% 30% - 33% 33% - 38%
SITUATION OVERVIEW: LIMITED WORK, INCREASING DEBT According to the inter-agency household profiling data, only 27% of the adult3 Syrian refugees have worked at least one day per month, 50% of which are adult males and 7% of adult females. On average, one member of the family, regardless of the household size, is responsible for supporting the entire family financially. Typically, those who work, work irregularly and significantly less than full-time: on average 14 days per month. The average monthly income they earn of USD 177 is in stark contrast to the average monthly expenditure of USD 4924, most of which are spent on food and rent. That income from irregular work is insufficient to cover monthly expenditures, including medical expenses, is also reflected in rising average household debts, which reached USD 991 for the first quarter of 2016.
LIVELIHOODS
14
PERCENTAGE WORKING INFORMALLY BY AGE Only 27% of adult Syrian refugees worked at least one day in the month preceding the visit in which they were profiled.
Of the 27% of working adults, 50% of males and 7% of females worked informally in the last 30 days.
35% 24%
14% 2%
5-14
15-17
18-24
Age
Average number of working members per household size2 12 10 8
2
45-64
65+
Average daily income among those working per governorate2
$13.90 $14.14
1
2
3
4
5 6 7 8 household size
1 UNHCR data as of 31 March 2016
On average, one member is responsible for supporting an entire family, regardless of the household size.
Average number of days worked per month among those working per governorate2 16.8
$15.26
$11.60
10.1
11.5
11.7
13.1
14.3
14.8
1.38
0 1
1
19.7
$8.47 $8.92 $9.08
.36
$177
$17.23
1 person generates income and supports the whole family regardless of its size
6 4
25-44
$12.77
Average income per day among those working
Average monthly income among those working
20%
2%
Average number of days worked per month among those working
9 10 11 12
Baalbek Akkar Bekaa North South Beirut Mnt. Nabatieh Hermel Lebanon
2 Inter-agency household profiling as of 1 Feb 2016
Prepared by the Interagency Information Management Unit- UNHCR |
3 Adult is defined as 18 and above.
Akkar
Baalbek Hermel
Bekaa North South El Mnt. Beirut NabatiehLebanon
4 Vulnerability Assessment of Refugees (VASyR) 2015
For more information contact InterAgency Coordinators Margunn Indreboe
[email protected] and Kerstin Karlstrom,
[email protected] Livelihoods sector coordinator: Bastien Revel,
[email protected]
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: RESIDENCY AND PLEDGE NOT TO WORK The residency renewal and entry procedures implemented in 2015 have resulted in further administrative and financial requirements on Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR to sign a pledge not to work and pay a fee of USD 200 per year per household member above the age of 14. Syrian refugees who do not sign the pledge not to work must find sponsors who, although not in the law, frequently request additional fees ranging from USD 800-1,000 or unpaid services in exchange for sponsorship. In consultations throughout 2015, refugees consistently reported lack of legal residency and lack of livelihood opportunities as the main challenges. The lack of livelihood opportunities leads to unmet basic needs, increased risk of exploitation, feelings of insecurity and hopelessness, and negative coping strategies including child labour.
OCCUPATIONS OF REGISTERED SYRIAN ADULTS PRIOR TO DISPLACEMENT 65%
WIDE GAP BETWEEN NEEDS AND INCOME Even in best case scenario in terms of average income and assistance2
600
$604
A family at the poverty line spends $604 per month.
Even the 14% of families who receive both food assistance
Every month, refugee families face a significant gap between what they need and what their income can cover.
60%
and multipurpose cash assistance do not receive enough to cover their basic needs.
$177 9% 3%
7%
Those who work earn on average $177 per month, and the average family has only one member working.3
5% 4% 4%
Housewives/ Manual Salaried Students husbands laborers professionals Women
400
300
$175/HH
29%
0%
500
$27/person
37%
7%
700
Men
Total
Manual labor includes laborers in construction, manufacturing, farmers, agriculture, drivers and other manual work.
Expenditure
$991
Average household debt 3
65%
of refugees receive food assistance 4 (27 $/person/ month)*
Income
17%
of UNHCR-registered households receive multipurpose cash assistance6 ($175 hh/month)
200
100
Income + Assistance
70%
of Syrian households are living below the poverty line
0
50%
of Syrian households are living below the survival minimum expenditure basket
SUPPORT TO SYRIAN REFUGEE LIVELIHOODS The Lebanon Crisis Response Plan aims at providing livelihoods support to 33,651 Syrian Refugees in 2016, either directly through skills training and employability support, or indirectly through engagement in public work programmes, and through support to businesses in sectors where Syrians are traditionally working and allowed to work according to Ministry of Labour decrees. Building on the LCRP, the Government of Lebanon Statement of Intent to the February 2016 London conference presented a five year plan on economic opportunities and jobs including the following: • “the employment of Syrians necessitates a review of existing regulatory frameworks related to residency conditions and work authorizations (…) such as waiving the “pledge not to work” requirement for Syrians, and, by so doing, to ease the access of Syrians to the job market in certain sectors where they are not in direct competition with Lebanese, such as agriculture, construction and other labour-intensive sectors”. • “the Government is proposing a new combination of interventions that aim to stimulate the economy by investing in several areas (municipalities, temporary employment programmes) (…) providing additional job opportunities for both Lebanese and Syrians. Through these interventions, an estimated total of 300,000 to 350,000 jobs are expected to be created, 60% of which could be for Syrians. The Government will make work permits available as appropriate.”
1 Participatory assessments undertaken by UNHCR and partners with refugees on a quarterly basis. 2 The average refugee family has 5.3 members. 3 Inter-agency household profiling as of 1 Feb 2016
4 WFP Situation Report, May 2016 6 Basic Assistance Sector Quarterly Update (Jan-March 2016)
more information contact InterAgency Coordinators Margunn Indreboe
[email protected] and Kerstin Karlstrom,
[email protected] Prepared by the Interagency Information Management Unit- UNHCR | For Livelihoods sector coordinator: Bastien Revel,
[email protected] 
