Roughly 250,000 people are looking for employment, the spokesman for Libya's Labour Ministry, Abdelkader Abu Shannaf, tells the New Arab News website.

According to the new ministry's data, the number of job seekers decreased from 340,000 in previous years to 250,000 in 2022.

"The statistics need to be reviewed and scrutinized, especially about the genuine number of the unemployed, Abu Shannaf said, disclosing that the ministry has no specific information on the percentage of unemployment rates in Libya.

He noted that the current data includes people wishing to obtain job opportunities in the public sector while working in private businesses.

According to Economics Magazine, the unemployment rate in the Libyan labour market stands at 19%, but local institutions believe it exceeds 30%.