3.3. Employment

Unemployment reached 24 % in 2024.605 Labour force participation remained low, with significant number of people unable to access job opportunities due to the conflict and displacement.606 A report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) found that 73 % of respondents identified unemployment as one of the main risks and barrier to return.607 In another assessment conducted between December and February 2025, survey participants ranked employment opportunities as the second most important concern after basic service access.608 Access to livelihoods in Damascus scored 2.1 (challenging), with all other governorates - except Quneitra - assessed as either challenging or not conducive for return based on this indicator.609 While the assessment recorded that, in areas with existing industry and commerce sectors, at least 85 % of key informants (Kis) reported partial or full operational status, in Damascus, 25 % of the industry and manufacturing sectors were described as non-operational.610 Another IOM report released in May 2025 noted that the lack of economic opportunities and essential services posed the greatest challenge for returnees.611 A survey by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) found that only 31 % had secured a temporary job. All households were found depending on support from relatives, communities, savings or remittances, and none were able to meet their basic needs. Another assessment conducted among returnees indicated that the majority of households were in debt especially in the areas of Aleppo, Dar’a and Rural Damascus.612

To mitigate liquidity challenges613 exacerbated in the past by the ATM malfunctioning due to power cuts, lack of staff614 and a severe shortage of banknotes,615 the Ministry of Finance introduced in April 2025 the digital salary directing public institutions to pay their employees through the Sham Cash electronic application starting from May 2025.616 Unemployment, job losses, and lack of access to essential services remained significant barriers to meeting basic needs. Many households resorted to borrowing money, selling productive assets, or engaging in high-risk or degrading jobs.617 The lack of job opportunities forced many into low paid and insecure informal jobs.618 The WFP reported, in April 2025, that the national daily wage for unskilled labour slightly increased by 3 %, reaching an average of approximately SYP 43 000 per day.619 An analysis by SCPR indicated that, as of February 2025, civil sector workers in regions governed by the Syrian government earned significantly less than their counterparts elsewhere, receiving only 37 % of the wages paid in the SIG and SSG areas and 48 % of those in DAANES areas. Over 200 startups operated within the country, mainly in Damascus, Homs and Aleppo but only a dozen have reached growth stage.620

For information on reforms affecting employment in the public sector see section 1.4.