STUDY ECONOMY AND FINANCE LIBYA’S PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT CRISIS The Critical Need to Shift from Patronage to Performance Jalel Harchaoui and Colin Powers October 2024 Salaries of public sector are no longer sufficient to cover average household expenses, and job creation is too weak to integrate younger generations and communities in peripheral areas Tribal bias in public sector hiring practices has worsened in recent times. Along with the pervasiveness of ghost employment, tribal biases have undermined the quality of public services and of the commercial performance of state­owned enterprises Outsourcing the manage­ment of key state assets, including in the oil sector, is a deeply troubling trend. Policymakers’ deliberations are not subject to public scrutiny, inviting corruption and favor trading