Through its second research funding cycle, the SWANA Future of Work Hub is supporting eight projects examining how artificial intelligence, digital platforms, climate change and the green transition are reshaping labor markets across the region. The projects will generate evidence and policy recommendations on skills, labor governance, worker protection, gender equality, informality and inclusive transitions.
American University of Beirut – American University of Cairo
Nadine Yamout is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics at the American University of Beirut. Her research focuses on applied macroeconomics, structural transformation, fiscal policy, and the challenges facing developing economies.
Project
Skills, Jobs, and Exposure to the Green Transition in the SWANA Region
The project examines whether workers currently employed in carbon-intensive jobs have the skills needed to transition into emerging green occupations across selected SWANA economies.
By combining labor-force data with internationally harmonized occupational skill profiles, the research will measure exposure to green and brown occupations, countries' existing green-skill endowments and the retraining barriers workers may face.
The study will also examine how these challenges differ according to gender, age, education, informality and employment sector, helping identify the groups most at risk of exclusion from the green transition.
Outputs
American University of Beirut
Mariette Awad is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Director of the Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Computing Hub at the American University of Beirut.
Project
Labor Governance Readiness under AI-Driven Employment Change: A Comparative Study in Selected Arab States
This comparative study examines how prepared labor-governance systems are to respond to AI-driven employment change in Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
The project will map AI exposure and employment transformation, assess the implications for women, youth, informal workers and platform workers, and examine gaps in labor regulation, social protection, skills systems and institutional coordination.
It will also develop the AI–Labor Readiness Index for Arab States (ALRIAS), a qualitative policy diagnostic designed to help policymakers identify governance gaps and priority areas for reform.
Outputs
Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development
The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) is a Jordan-based civil society organization working to advance inclusive development, social justice and equitable rights and opportunities across the Arab region.
Project
Platform Work, Social Protection, and the Future of Work in SWANA: Evidence from Jordan
The project investigates how platform-mediated employment is transforming work in Jordan, focusing on labor conditions, access to social protection and the experiences of marginalized workers.
Through interviews, surveys and participatory engagement, the research will examine the challenges faced by women, youth, refugees, migrants and informal workers in accessing and navigating platform work.
A case study of ride-hailing services will provide further insight into workers' experiences and the regulatory and social-protection gaps affecting the sector.
Outputs
Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies (LCPS) is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit think tank that produces and advocates for policies to improve governance in Lebanon and the Arab region.
Project
Artificial Intelligence and Occupational Exposure in Lebanon's Cultural and Creative Industries
The project examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping work in Lebanon's cultural and creative industries, with a comparative assessment of AI adoption and labor-market change in the United Arab Emirates.
Using a task-based methodology grounded in the O*NET occupational taxonomy, the research will assess the extent to which tasks within selected creative occupations could be automated or augmented by AI.
Expert interviews in Lebanon and the UAE will help identify changes in creative workflows, emerging roles and skills, and the ways infrastructure, training systems and policy support shape different outcomes.
Planned outputs
- Task-based occupational exposure methodology
- AI-exposure profiles for selected creative occupations
- Lebanon–UAE comparative assessment
- Policy recommendations
- Policy brief
- Article
- Infographic
- Podcast
The Hashemite University
The Hashemite University is a state university located in Zarqa, Jordan. The university works to advance teaching, scientific research and community service across a wide range of disciplines.
Project
Algorithmic Management and the Future of Delivery Work in Jordan: A Pilot Study Using AI and IoT-Driven Sensing
This pilot study examines how algorithmic-management systems—including automated dispatch, dynamic pricing and performance ratings—shape the working conditions of platform-based delivery workers in Jordan.
The project combines worker-centered research with AI and IoT-driven sensing to generate evidence on working conditions, platform practices and worker vulnerability. It will also consider how environmental incentives and the transition toward low-carbon delivery may affect workers.
The evidence will inform a scenario-based decision-support framework and a policy co-creation process involving workers, platforms, regulators and civil society.
Outputs
Triangle
Triangle is a multidisciplinary organization that brings together policy, research and media. It conducts evidence-based research and develops policy and communication outputs addressing economic, developmental and social issues.
Project
Invisible Hands: Exploring Digital Labor, Spatial Justice, and Policy Futures for AI Data Enrichment Workers in Lebanon and Jordan
The project examines the often-invisible workers performing AI data-enrichment and related online digital piecework in Lebanon and Jordan.
It will explore who can access this work, who is excluded, how platforms and intermediaries distribute value and power, and which forms of protection, representation and accountability are feasible in both countries.
Worker experiences and perspectives will be central to the research and the development of practical policy options.
Outputs
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University (METU) is a public research university in Türkiye. Founded in 1956, it promotes excellence in research, education and public service, with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary and international research.
Project
Climate Change and the Transformation of Agricultural Labor Markets in Türkiye: Implications for Informality, Gender, and Inequality
The project investigates how climate change and decarbonization policies are transforming agricultural labor markets in Türkiye.
It will combine satellite-based environmental indicators with climate information, labor-market data and economic scenario analysis to examine how drought, vegetation loss and land degradation are associated with agricultural employment.
The research will pay particular attention to regional differences, informal employment, unpaid family work, gender inequality and the emergence and quality of green jobs in agriculture.
Outputs
Lebanese American University
Lebanese American University (LAU) is a non-profit higher education institution committed to academic excellence, scholarship, civic engagement, inclusion and the formation of leaders in a diverse world.
Project
Domesticity Digitalized: Women Content Creators in SWANA
Led by Dr. Zina Sawaf and Dr. Gretchen King, the project examines how women content creators in Lebanon, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates make domestic and care work visible through social media platforms.
The research considers how activities such as cooking, cleaning and caregiving enter digital spaces and become subject to platform dynamics, audience engagement and potential monetization.
Through interviews and analysis of digital content, the project will explore who benefits from this transformation, who is excluded and how gender, class and race shape women's experiences. It will also examine relevant digital-media, labor-law and platform-governance gaps.
Outputs