European Neighbourhood Policy - South - labour market statistics

Data extracted in April 2023.

Highlights

With the exception of Israel, economic activity of women was considerably lower across the European Neighbourhood Policy-South region than in the EU in 2021.

Among the European Neighbourhood Policy-South countries, the share of the labour force working in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in 2021 was highest in Morocco, with 31.2 %, and lowest in Israel, with 0.8 %; in the EU, this share was 3.8 %.

In the European Neighbourhood Policy-South countries, self-employed and family workers accounted for between 45.5 % of employed persons in Morocco and 12.1 % in Israel in 2021. The EU figure was 14.5 %.

Activity rate (persons aged 15-64 years) by gender, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of total population)
Source: Eurostat (lfsi_emp_a) and (enps_lfsa_argaed)

This article is part of an online publication and provides data on some key characteristics of labour markets in 8 of the 10 countries that form the European Neighbourhood Policy-South (ENP-South) region — Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine ^[1] and Tunisia; no recent data for Libya or Syria. The article presents, among others, indicators such as activity rates, employment rates, an analysis of employment by economic activity, and statistics in relation to unemployment for the ENP-South countries and the European Union (EU).

Full article

Activity rates

The economically active population, also known as the labour force, comprises employed and unemployed persons. The labour force also includes people who were not at work but had a job or business from which they were temporarily absent, for example because of illness, holidays, industrial disputes, education or training. The activity rate is the proportion of the population who are economically active.

Figure 1 shows, for the ENP-South countries, as well as for the EU, the proportion of the economically active population aged 15-64 years for 2011, 2020 and 2021, disaggregated to show the activity rates for men and women.

Activity rates in Algeria, Israel, Palestine and Tunisia increased between 2011 and 2021 (or for the period for which data is available) both for men and women. Declines for both men and women occurred in Egypt and Morocco and for men only in Lebanon. Except for Israel, activity rates for women in the ENP-South countries were much lower than in the EU. Activity rates for men were also mostly lower in the ENP-South countries than in the EU, but to a much lesser extent. An exception was Lebanon in 2012 and 2018 (latest available data)

Activity rates increased in total between 2011 and 2021 in Israel (5.6 %), Algeria (3.4 % between 2011-2019), Tunisia (2.7 % between 2009-2021), Palestine (0.4 %) and Lebanon (0.1 % between 2012 and 2018), while decreases were recorded in Egypt (-3.6 %) and Morocco (-3.1 %). In most of the ENP-South countries the gender gap was reduced over this period, except in Egypt and Morocco where it increased.

Activity rates for women were far higher in Israel in 2021 than elsewhere in the ENP-South countries at 68.5 % of the total population, the same as it was recorded in the EU. In Lebanon, 33.6 % (2018 data) of women aged 15-64 years were economically active; in Tunisia, 32.5 %; in Morocco, 22.8 %, in Algeria 19.1 % (2019 data), in Palestine 18.2 % and in Egypt 16.2 %. There is no data for Jordan for 2020 or 2021, the figure for 2011 was 15.7 %.

Labour force participation among men aged 15-64 years in 2021 was comparable across the ENP-South countries and mostly lower than the EU, where the rate was 78.7 %. The highest men activity rates were observed in Lebanon, at 77.8 % (2018 data), Morocco, at 75.4 %; and in Tunisia, at 74.3 %. They were followed by Egypt, 72.7 %, Algeria at 72.6 % (2019 data); Israel at 71.8 %; and Palestine at 71.7 %. Men labour force participation in Jordan in 2011 was 66.6 % of the relevant population.

A comparison between activity rates for men and women across the ENP-South countries shows that the widest labour force gender gaps in 2021, or the latest year available, were recorded in Egypt, at 56.5 %, Palestine and Algeria, both at 53.5 % (2019 data for Algeria), followed closely by Morocco, at 52.6 % and Jordan at 50.9 % (2011 data). The gender gap in Tunisia in 2021 was 41.8 % and in Lebanon 44.2 % (2018 data). In Israel, the gender gap in 2021 was 3.3 %. The gender gap in the EU was 10.2 % in 2021.

Between 2011 and 2021 or the latest year available, the highest change in the labour force gender gap in the ENP-South countries occurred in Tunisia, with a fall of 5.0 percentage points (pp). Other decreases were recorded in Israel (-4.0 pp), Lebanon (-1.9 pp), Algeria (-0.9 pp) and Palestine (-0.4 pp). The gender gap in labour force increased in Egypt (+4.4 pp) and Morocco (+1.1 pp). In the EU, the activity gender gap declined by 2.2 pp over the decade.

Figure 1: Activity rate (persons aged 15-64 years) by gender, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of total population)
Source: Eurostat (lfsi_emp_a) and (enps_lfsa_argaed)

Employment rates

In line with international standards, the European Union labour force survey (EU LFS) defines persons in employment as those aged 15 years and over, who, during the reference week, performed some work, even for just one hour per week, for pay, profit or family gain. Employment statistics are frequently reported as employment rates to discount the changing size of countries' populations over time and to facilitate comparisons between countries of different sizes. These rates are typically published for the working age population, which is generally considered to be those aged 15-64 years, as well as for those aged 20-64 years, in order to take account of the increasing proportion of young people who remain in education.

Figure 2 shows the annual employment rates for the ENP-South countries, as well as the EU. The data shown in Figure 3 show employment rates in 2011, 2020 and 2021 disaggregated by gender for the 15-64 years age group. Since people in employment make up a large part of the labour force, statistics about these two categories often increase or decrease together. Comparisons can therefore be made between Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3.

Figure 2 shows that employment levels were rather stable in the ENP-South countries. Israel had the highest rates of employment amongst the ENP-South countries and a slow rising trend between 2012 and 2017 (from 66.5 % to 69.0 %), while in 2018 it remained stable. However, there was a decline in 2019 - 2021, which brought the employment rate to levels similar to 2012 (66.6 %). The second highest employment rates were found in Lebanon (48.2 %; 2018 data); however, data are available only for 2018. Tunisia's very short time series (data available only for 2019 - 2021), reported a slight increase in the employment rate, from 43.4 % to 44.5 %, followed by a fall down to 43.3 %, in 2021. Morocco saw a steady decline in employment rates over the decade, starting in 2011 with 47.3 % of the total population being employed, then reaching 42.3 % in 2020 followed by a slight growth in employment rate up to 42.7 in 2021. In Egypt, there was a declining trend over the period, with only small increases in 2017 and 2021; in 2021 it reached 41.8 %. Algeria reported several increases in 2012-2013, 2015-2016 and 2018-2019. In 2019 the employment rate was 40.8 %. Palestine's employment rate was rather stable between 2011 and 2021, with a decline in 2020 to reach 31.6 %, followed by an increase up to 33.3 %, which is closer to the 2018 level of employment (33.5 %).

While country employment changes over time were fairly minor, the different levels of employment between ENP-South countries are much more marked. Palestine's average employment rate between 2011-2021 was 34.3 % of the population 15-64 years old, the lowest among the ENP-South countries. Algeria's was 40.1 % over 2011-2019; Egypt's 41.4 % over 2011-2021; and Tunisia's 43.7 % over 2019-2021. The average employment rate over 2011-2021 was 44.9 % in Morocco; and 67.9 % in Israel over 2012-2021. The EU average employment rate between 2011-2021 was 66.3 %; therefore, lower than in Israel.

The most recent data, from 2021 (or as noted) again show large differences between the higher and lowest countries: Palestine 33.3 %; Algeria 40.8 % (2019); Egypt 41.8 %; Morocco 42.7 %; Tunisia, 43.3 %; Lebanon 48.2 % (2018); and Israel 66.6 %. No data available for Jordan. The EU's employment rate in 2021 was 69.1 %.

Figure 2: Employment rate (persons aged 15-64 years), 2011-2021
(% of total population)
Source: Eurostat (lfsi_emp_a) and (enps_lfsa_argaed)

The employment data disaggregated by gender is shown in Figure 3. In Algeria, the total employment rate increased for both genders; men employment rate grew by 2.2 pp compared with 2011 to 65.9 % in 2019 (latest available data), and the women employment rate increased by 2.6 pp to 15.2 %. Total employment rate increased and the employment gender gap was reduced by 0.4 pp to 50.7 pp in 2019. A different trend was observed in Israel: men employment rate decreased between 2012 and 2021 by 2.6 pp to 68.1 %, while the women employment rate increased by 2.7 pp to 65.1 %; the total employment rose and the employment gender gap decreased by 5.3 pp to 3.0 pp. In Egypt, men employment rate increased between 2011 and 2021 by 0.7 pp, while that of women fell by 3.8 pp. The employment gender gap therefore rose by 4.5 pp to 54.9 pp, the highest gender gap among the ENP-South countries. In Morocco, men employment fell by 4.6 pp to 66.9 % in 2021 and women by 5.5 pp to 18.8 %. The gender gap increased between 2011 and 2021 by 0.9 pp to 48.1 pp. In Palestine, the men and women employment rates in 2021 decreased by 2.1 pp each to 55.5 % and 10.4 %, respectively. The gender gap in 2021 is at the same level as it was in 2011, - 45.1 pp. No data was available for Tunisia in 2011; however, between 2020 and 2021, Tunisia still reported a fall in men employment rate by 4.0 pp to 62.7 %, while the women employment rate increased by 1.4 pp up to 24.8 %. The gender gap narrowed to 37.9 pp (-5.4 pp). In Lebanon in 2018, men employment was 69.7 %, women 28.7 % and the gender gap 41.0 pp. No data available for Jordan.

By contrast, the gender gap in the EU in 2021 was significantly lower, with the exception of Israel, which had a lower gender gap than the EU. In the EU, men employment was 78.7 %, women 68.5 % and the gender gap 10.2 pp, a fall of 2.2 pp from 2011.

Figure 3: Employment rate (persons aged 15-64 years) by gender, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of total population)
Source: Eurostat (lfsi_emp_a) and (enps_lfsa_ergan)

Employment by economic activity

Figure 4 shows the structure of employment for 2011, 2020 and 2021 by broad economic activity.

In all of the ENP-South countries for which data is available, services accounted for the largest proportion of the workforce; the only exception was Morocco in 2011, when agriculture, forestry and fisheries was the largest employer. The regional trend over the ten years to 2021 is for greater employment in services at the expense of agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

In 2021 or the last year for which data is available, services accounted for more than half of all people employed in all the economies of the region except Morocco. In Israel, 83.0 % of the workforce was employed in services in 2021, with the next highest share among the ENP-South countries being in Lebanon (75.8 % in 2018) and in Palestine (61.4 %). The lowest shares of services in the workforce in 2021 were recorded in Morocco, at 45.8 %. The greatest change in the share of services among countries reporting data between 2011 and 2021 occurred in Morocco, where the share of services increased by 7.5 pp. Other significant increases occurred in Egypt, by 5.2 pp to 52.5 % and in Tunisia (2020-2021), by 2.5 pp to 54.2 % of total employment. Algeria's share of employment in services in 2019 was 60.8 %, 2.4 pp increase since 2011. No data available for Jordan. The EU's share of services in total employment was 71.6 % in 2021, up by 3.0 pp from 2011.

The ENP-South countries reported shares for industry in their total employment between 10.8 % in Israel (2020) and 20.4 % in Tunisia in 2021. The latter was clearly the highest in the region, the next highest figure recorded being 14.5 % in Egypt (15.0 % in 2020), an increase of 2.6 pp from 2011. Tunisia's industry share of employment (between 2020 and 2021) showed growth by 2.2 pp to 20.4 %.The other ENP-South country, which reported an increase in its share of total employment in industry over the decade was Palestine, by 1.0 pp to 13.1 % in 2021. Algeria's share went down by 1.3 pp to 12.9 % (between 2011 and 2019). Israel reported the strongest decline in industry share of employment between 2012 and 2021, by 2.1 pp to 11.1 %. Morocco's share of employment in industry in 2021 was almost the same as in 2011, with a slight decline by 0.1 pp to 11.7 %. Lebanon's share of employment in industry in 2018 was 11.7 %. No data is available for Jordan. As a comparison, the EU's industry share of employment in 2021 was 18.0 %, down by 0.5 pp from 2011.

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries accounted for a small and declining share of employment in several of the ENP-South countries. Morocco had both the largest share in 2021, at 31.2 % and the second greatest fall from 2011, by 8.6 pp. Egypt had the next largest employment share at 19.2 % in 2021 and the greatest fall, by 10.0 pp from 2011. In Palestine, the employment between 2011 and 2021 decreased by 5.2 pp to 6.7 %. In Tunisia it decreased by 2.9 pp to 11.6 % (between 2020 and 2021). The share of employment in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Israel declined by 0.4 pp to 0.8 % in 2021, from 1.2 % in 2012. In 2019, employment in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector was 9.6 % of the total in Algeria, a decrease by 1.2 pp from 2011. No 2011, 2020 and 2021 data are available for Lebanon; however, in 2018, 3.6 % of its total employment was working in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector. No data is available for Jordan. In the EU, 3.8 % of employment was in agriculture, forestry and fisheries in 2021, down by 1.8 pp from 2011.

Construction employment can vary considerably from year to year over the economic cycle, so that changes may not be long lasting. Nevertheless, in most ENP-South countries that reported data for both 2011 and 2021, the sector employment share was fairly stable. In Palestine, however, the share of construction employment rose by 5.1 pp during the decade, to 18.8 %, the highest in the region in 2021. The second largest employment share was reported in Algeria (16.8 %) in 2019, however, it showed only 0.2 pp growth from 2011. The lowest share of employment in construction in 2020 was in Israel, at 5.0 %. The next lowest was 8.9 % in Lebanon (2018), while that of Morocco was 11.2 % which represented an increase of 1.1 pp from 2011. Other observations were Tunisia at 13.8 % with the decline by 0.2 pp and Egypt at 13.7 % with the growth by 2.1 pp between 2011 and 2021. No data is available for Jordan. The EU's employment share in construction was 6.6 % in 2021, a decline of 0.7 pp from a decade earlier.

Figure 4: Employment rate (persons aged 15 years and over) by economic activity, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of total employment)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_egan2) and Eurostat data collection

Employment by working status

Figure 5 shows the shares of employment by working status: employees, the self-employed and family workers aged 15 years and over for the ENP-South countries, as well as the EU.

Between 2011 and 2021, or for the period for which data is available, among the ENP-South countries the trend is toward greater employment as employees, hence away from self-employment and family work. The largest shift was reported in Egypt and Morocco, at 10.7 pp and at 8.4 pp, respectively; followed by Palestine with 5.6 pp. In Algeria, the share of employees in total employment increased by 0.8 pp over 2011-2019, while in Israel this increase was smaller (only 0.3 pp between 2012 and 2021). No data is available for 2011 in Tunisia but the country reported the share of employees of the same size between 2020 and 2021. No data is available for Jordan.

Self-employed and family workers accounted for 45.5 % of total employment in Morocco in 2021, the highest share in the ENP-South region by far, reflecting, to some degree, the relative weight of agricultural activities, with work spread across numerous small-scale holdings. Algeria, 32.4 % in 2019; Lebanon, 25.6 % in 2018; Palestine, 27.8 % in 2021; Egypt 27.4 %; and Tunisia 25.9 %; all had similar shares of self-employment and family workers. In Israel, the share of the self-employed and family workers in 2021 was 12.1 %. No data is available for Jordan. In the EU, this share was 14.5 %, a decline of 2.5 pp from 2011.

Figure 5: Employment (persons aged 15 years and over) by working status, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of total employment)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_egaps) and (enps_lfsa_egaps)

Unemployment rates

Eurostat publishes unemployment statistics based on the definition of unemployment provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), for which there are three criteria: being without work, actively seeking work, and being available for work. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed divided by the labour force.

In general, the unemployment rate begins to rise only some time after an economic downturn has occurred. Once the economy starts to pick up again, employers usually remain cautious about hiring new workers and there may be a lag before the unemployment rate starts to fall. In addition, people formerly economically inactive who then join or re-join the labour force, will initially increase the unemployment figures.

People working only a few hours a week and who wish to work more, known as the underemployed, are excluded from the unemployment figures. In countries that have significant underemployment, a better understanding of the unemployment data is achieved from looking in conjunction at employment data. If statistics are compiled on part-time work or on total hours worked, it may be possible to identify trends in underemployment.

Data for the ENP-South countries on unemployment rates, as well as for the EU, are shown in Figure 6 for the period 2011-2021. Figure 7 shows unemployment rate disaggregated by gender for the years 2011, 2020 and 2021 and Figure 8 shows long-term unemployment rate similarly disaggregated.

The most stand-out point from Figure 6 is the much higher unemployment rates recorded in Palestine than elsewhere in the ENP-South region, except the unemployment rate of Lebanon (29.6 %) in 2022. In Palestine, the unemployment rate ranged from 20.9 % in 2011 to 30.8 % in 2018, with the 2021 figure at 26.4 %, the period average was 25.9 %. The next highest rate recorded elsewhere in the region was found in Tunisia, at 18.0 % in 2021, an increase from 16.2 % in 2020 and 15.3 % in 2019. Data before 2019 is not available.

Morocco, Algeria and Egypt had average unemployment rates for the 2011-2021 period that were similar to each other, with the averages ranging from 10.0 % to 11.0 % for these three countries over the periods with available data. Morocco had a slightly lower average unemployment rate over most of the period 2011-2021 than the two others. This can partly be explained by the lower share of employment as employees, explored in Figure 5 above. However, the unemployment rate increased in 2020 and 2021, with a peak of 12.4 % in 2021. Morocco's lowest unemployment rate point was in 2011 at 9.0 %. Algeria had relative stable unemployment rates throughout the period: its unemployment rate's low point was in 2013, at 9.8 % and its high point in 2018 at 11.8 %. The 2019 figure, the most recent available, was 11.4 %. Between 2011 and 2018, Egypt had its unemployment rate low point in 2011 at 12.0 % and its high point in 2013 at 13.2 %. However, Egypt's unemployment data from 2019 on cover unemployment of the age group 15-64 years old, rather than 15-74 years old; this change in definition yielded a level shift in the unemployment rate measured, with 7.9 % in 2019 and 2020 before falling to 7.4 % in 2021.

In Israel, the unemployment rate was at its highest recorded point at 6.9 % in 2012, the first year for which data is available; following a continuous decline, it registered its low point in 2019 at 3.8 %, but 2021 saw an increase to 5.0 %. No data is available for Jordan.

Unemployment in the EU peaked at 11.4 % in 2013, then declined continually to 6.7 % in 2019 before rising to 7.1 % in 2020 and stabilising at 7.0 % 2021, still well below the period average (9.0 %).

Figure 6: Unemployment rate (persons aged 15-74 years), 2011-2021
(% of labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_urgan) and (enps_lfsa_urgan)

Figure 7 presents the overall unemployment rates for men and women. A specific interest in the data shown in Figure 7 is also in providing a basis for comparison with the youth unemployment shown in Figure 9.

The highest unemployment rates for women in the ENP-South region were those registered in Palestine in 2020 and 2021, at 40.1 % and 42.9 %, respectively. The 2021 rate was 14.5 pp higher than in 2011. Lebanon followed with some distance, with a rate of 32.7 % in 2022 (2021 data not available); 2011 data is not available, thus long-term comparison is not possible. Further behind, but also with a high female unemployment rate, was Tunisia with a rate of 23.6 % in 2021; also for this country, 2011 data is not available. Female unemployment in Algeria was 20.4 % in 2020 (2021 data not available), up 3.2 pp from 2011. In Morocco, the unemployment rate for women was 16.9 % in 2021 (6.6 pp higher than in 2011). In Egypt it was 16.0 % in 2021, 6.7 pp lower than in 2011; however, the two rates cannot be directly compared, as the definition changed in the interim and the unemployment rates only cover population aged 15-64 years old from 2019 on. With a rate of 4.9 % in 2021, down by 2.1 pp compared with 2011, Israel recorded a much lower female unemployment than all other ENP-South countries.

Lebanon recorded the highest male unemployment rate in 2022 (no 2021 data), at 28.4 %, 18.4 pp higher than in 2018, the other year available for comparison. Palestine had the second highest male unemployment rate among the ENP-South countries, at 22.4 % in 2021. Another country experiencing high male unemployment was Tunisia, with 15.4 % in 2021. In the rest of the ENP-South region, male unemployment was lower, ranging between 5.1 % in Israel and 11.0 % in Morocco in 2021. Egypt with 5.6 % (2021; men aged 15-64 years old) and Algeria at 9.1 % (2019 data) also fell within this range.

The gender gap for unemployment increased from 9.3 pp to 20.5 pp in Palestine between 2011 and 2021, the highest in the region. This increase in the gender gap was caused by a large increase in female unemployment over the period 2011-2021, combined with a much more moderate increase in male unemployment. Egypt and Algeria (2019 data) also recorded unemployment gender gaps of more than 10 pp in 2021, at 10.4 and 11.3 pp, respectively. Whereas this implied a decrease by 3.4 pp compared with 2011 for Egypt, it corresponded to an increase by 2.5 pp between 2011 and 2019 for Algeria. Tunisia recorded a gender gap of 8.2 pp in 2021; 2011 data for comparison is not available. Morocco at 5.9 pp and Lebanon at 4.3 (2022 data) recorded lower gender gaps, while Israel was close to gender parity with respect to unemployment with a 0.2 pp higher unemployed rate for men than for women. No data is available for Jordan.

In comparison, unemployment in the EU was 7.4 % for women and 6.7 % for men in 2021, respectively 2.7 and 3.0 pp lower than in 2011. The unemployment gender gap in the EU remained moderate at 0.7 pp in 2021, albeit 0.3 pp higher than in 2011.

Figure 7: Unemployment rate (persons aged 15-74 years) by gender, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_urgan) and (enps_lfsa_urgan)

Data on long-term unemployment by gender is shown in Figure 8. The overall long-term unemployment rate was highest in Palestine in 2021, where male long-term unemployment stood at 7.7 % and female at 27.4 % of the labour force. In 2021, high long-term unemployment, in particular for women, was also observed in Tunisia with 6.7 % male and 15.8 % female long-term unemployment, in Morocco with 7.7 % male and 12.9 % female long-term unemployment, and in Algeria with 5.9 % male and 13.5 % female long-term unemployment (2019 data). Egypt had 2.0 % male and 7.9 % female unemployment in 2021. Israel had the lowest long-term unemployment, at 0.4 % for men and 0.3 % for women in 2021.

Both in 2011 and 2021 (or for the closest reference year for which data is available), the long-term unemployment rate for women was higher than that for men throughout the ENP-South region, except for Israel where there was no difference in long-term unemployment between men and women in both 2012 (2011 data not available) and 2021 and only a marginal difference in 2020 (0.1 pp). Among the ENP-South countries reporting data for both 2011 and 2021, the long-term unemployment gender gap increased: by 2.6 pp in Morocco; by 3.2 pp in Egypt; by 4.1 pp in Algeria (between 2011 and 2019); and by 11.7 pp in Palestine. This picture contrasts with the more positive changes in the activity and employment rate gender gaps shown in Figures 1 and Figure 3. In Israel, there was no long-term unemployment gender gap in 2011, in 2021 it was -0.1 pp (female long-term unemployment was 0.1 pp lower than that of men).

In 2021, the long-term unemployment gender gap was widest in Palestine, at 19.7 pp, followed by Tunisia, at 9.0 pp, and Algeria, at 7.6 pp (2019 data). In Egypt the gap was 5.9 pp and in Morocco 5.2 pp. No data is available for Jordan, Lebanon and Libya.

In the EU, mal long-term unemployment was 2.6 % in 2021 and women 2.9 %; the corresponding gender gap was 0.3 pp. In 2011 there was no gender gap for the long-term unemployment, with both male and female long-term unemployment in the EU at 4.3 %.

Figure 8: Long-term unemployment rate (persons aged 15-74 years) by gender, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of labour force)
Source: Eurostat (une_ltu_a) and Eurostat data collection

Youth unemployment

The highest youth unemployment rate in the ENP-South region in 2021 was observed in Palestine, where 37.2 % of men aged 15-24 years and 70.0 % of women of the same age were unemployed. The difference from the overall unemployment rate for men, as shown in Figure 7, was 14.8 pp; and for women, 27.1 pp.

In 2022 (no 2021 data), Lebanon had male youth unemployment of 46.1 % and female of 52.3 %. The youth unemployment rate was higher than the overall unemployment rate by 17.7 pp for men and by 19.6 pp for women. Algeria had youth unemployment for men aged 16-24 years of 23.6 % and women of 45.1 % in 2019 (more recent data not available). The differences with the overall unemployment rates were 14.5 pp higher for young men and 24.7 pp higher for young women. In 2021, Tunisia had youth unemployment for men aged 15-24 years of 42.2 % and for young women 36.2 %; this was 26.8 pp higher for young men and 12.6 pp higher for young women than the corresponding overall unemployment rates by sex. Egypt had unemployment rate for young men of 12.8 % and 42.6 % for young women in 2021; for young men, this was 6.5 pp higher than overall male unemployment, and for young women 25.8 pp higher than the corresponding overall female unemployment rate. In Jordan, the youth unemployment rate was 36.3 % for men and 35.1 % for women in 2011; more recent data is not available.

In Morocco, male youth unemployment in 2021 was 28.4 %, and that of women, 41.2 %; male youth unemployment was 17.4 pp higher than the overall rate, and female youth unemployment 24.3 pp higher. In Israel, youth unemployment for men was 7.5 % in 2021, 2.5 pp higher than the overall male figure, while that for women was 8.0 %, 3.1 pp higher than the overall figure for women aged 15-74 years old.

In the EU, the 2021 figure for male youth unemployment was 16.5 %, 9.7 pp higher than for the whole male labour force, while the equivalent figure for young women was 16.7 %, 9.3 pp higher than the overall female figure.

Figure 9: Youth unemployment rates (persons aged 15-24 years) by gender, 2011, 2020 and 2021
(% of labour force)
Source: Eurostat (lfsa_urgan) and (enps_lfsa_urgan)

Source data for tables and graphs

European Neighbourhood Policy — South countries — labour: tables and figures

Data sources

The data for ENP-South countries are supplied by and under the responsibility of the national statistical authorities of each country on a voluntary basis. The data that are presented in this article result from an annual data collection cycle that has been established by Eurostat. No recent data are available from either Libya or Syria. These statistics are available free-of-charge on Eurostat's website, together with a range of different indicators covering most socio-economic areas.

Context

Labour market statistics are increasingly used to support policymaking and to provide an opportunity to monitor participation in the labour market. These statistics are used to monitor the effects on labour markets of external shocks, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which tend to lag behind changes in economic activity.

Social policy makers often face the challenge of remedying uncertainty in employment and high unemployment by designing ways to increase employment opportunities for specific groups in society, such as the young, those having working in certain economic activities, or those living in low employment regions.

The slow pace of recovery from the financial and economic crisis in the EU and mounting evidence of rising unemployment led the European Commission to propose an employment package in April 2012. This considered how employment policies intersect with a number of other policy areas in support of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It identified the EU's greatest job potential areas and the most effective ways for EU countries to create more jobs.

In December 2012, in the face of high and still rising youth unemployment in several EU Member States, the European Commission proposed a Youth employment package (COM(2012) 727 final). Efforts to reduce youth unemployment continued in 2013 as the European Commission presented a Youth employment initiative (COM(2013) 144 final) designed to reinforce and accelerate measures outlined in the Youth employment package. It aimed to support, in particular, young people not in education, employment or training in regions with a youth unemployment rate above 25 %. There followed another Communication Working together for Europe's young people — A call to action on youth unemployment (COM(2013) 447 final) which was designed to accelerate the implementation of the youth guarantee and provide help to EU Member States and businesses so they could recruit more young people.

In June 2016, the European Commission adopted a Skills Agenda for Europe (COM/2016/0381 final) under the heading 'Working together to strengthen human capital, employability and competitiveness'. This was intended to ensure that people develop the skills necessary for now and the future, in order to boost employability, competitiveness and growth across the EU.

There are six European Commission priorities for 2019–2024, including the creation of 'An economy that works for people', whereby the EU seeks to create a more attractive investment environment, and growth that creates quality jobs, especially for young people and small businesses. Some of the principal challenges outlined by President von der Leyen include: fully implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights; ensuring that workers have at least a fair minimum wage; promoting a better work-life balance; tackling gender pay gaps and other forms of workplace discrimination; getting more disabled people into work; and protecting people who are unemployed.

Since the end of 2019, the European Commission has contributed to the implementation of the social pillar principles with, among other initiatives, the following.

The European Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025.
Proposing a Council Regulation (EU) 2020/672 of 19 May 2020 on the establishment of a European instrument for temporary support to mitigate unemployment risks in an emergency (SURE) following the COVID-19 outbreak designed to help protect jobs and workers by avoiding wasteful redundancies and long-term negative consequences for labour markets through action to sustain incomes and preserve the productive capacity and human capital of enterprises and the economy as a whole.
The Just Transition Fund – to alleviate the social and economic costs resulting from the transition towards a climate-neutral economy.
A Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on adequate minimum wages in the European Union (COM(2020) 682 final).
Youth Employment Support – young people have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis in terms of facing difficulties to enter the labour market or retain their employment. This action aims to give young people opportunities to develop their full potential to shape the future of the EU and thrive in the digital and green economy of the future.
The reinforced Youth Guarantee is a commitment by all EU Member States to ensure that people under the age of 30 years receive a good quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship, or, a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving education.

At the beginning of March 2021, the European Commission outlined the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan. It provides specific actions to implement the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights through the active involvement of social partners and civil society. Furthermore, it proposes a number of employment, skills and social protection targets to be achieved by 2030. One of the headline targets relates specifically to labour markets, namely that at least 78 % of people aged 20–64 years should be in employment by 2030.

The open method of coordination (OMC) enables the coordination of the EU Member States' employment policies towards common objectives for the labour market, without requiring binding European legislative measures. Through the peer reviews and the central role of the Council, it helps spreading good practices among EU Member States and achieving greater convergence towards the main EU goals. The OMC process for national employment policies is an integral part of the annual European Semester cycle of economic policy coordination.

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), launched in 2003 and developed throughout 2004, supports and fosters stability, security and prosperity in the EU's neighbourhood. The ENP was revised in 2015. The main principles of the revised policy are a tailored approach to partner countries; flexibility; joint ownership; greater involvement of EU Member States and shared responsibility. The ENP aims to deepen engagement with civil society and social partners. It offers partner countries greater access to the EU's market and regulatory framework, standards and internal agencies and programmes.

The Joint Communication on Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood – A new Agenda for the Mediterranean, accompanied by an Economic and Investment Plan for the Southern neighbours, of 9 February 2021 further guides cooperation with the ENP-South countries.

The main objective of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in statistics is to enable the production and dissemination of reliable and comparable data, in line with European and international norms and standards.

Reliable and comparable data are essential for evidence-based decision-making. They are needed to monitor the implementation of the agreements between the EU and the ENP-South countries, the impact of policy interventions and the reaching of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The EU has been supporting statistical capacity building in the region for a number of years through bilateral and regional capacity-building activities. This takes the form of technical assistance to partner countries' national statistical authorities through targeted assistance programmes, such as the MEDSTAT programme and activities such as training courses, working groups and workshops, exchange of best practice and the transfer of statistical know-how. Additional information on the policy context of the ENP is provided here.

Notes

↑ This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.