Liberia's labor sector faced one of its gravest crises in 2025, as systemic corruption, weak enforcement, and political interference eroded protections for workers and displaced thousands of qualified Liberians from jobs legally reserved for them.
These findings are detailed in the Annual Labor Report 2025, released by the Liberia Labor and Governance Alliance (LILGA), a national labor advocacy institution headed by labor policy expert George S. Tengbeh. LILGA spent 2025 documenting violations across mining, construction, agriculture, manufacturing, ports, and public institutions.
The report, which is in the possession of The Liberian Investigator, paints a troubling picture of a Ministry of Labour that, instead of defending workers' rights as mandated by law, increasingly functioned as a revenue-driven and politically captured institution. Central to the crisis is the foreign work permit system, which the report describes as having "collapsed into an unregulated marketplace," allowing thousands of foreign workers to occupy positions without proper justification, skills-gap analysis, or proof that Liberians were unavailable to serve in the same positions.
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According to the official Ministry of Labor's data, 10,974 foreign work permits were issued in 2024, generating nearly US$9 million in revenue. However, civil society investigations and disclosures by the Civil Service Agency (CSA) revealed that nearly 70 percent of these permits were issued for jobs legally reserved for Liberians. Rather than correcting this trend in 2025, the report argues that the situation deteriorated even further.
A Permit System for Sale
LILGA's report alleges that senior officials within the Ministry of Labor transformed the alien work permit system into what it calls a "permit-for-sale cartel." Waivers intended for rare exceptions reportedly became routine tools to bypass legal requirements, while under-the-table payments replaced transparent fee collection. Despite the introduction of a new US$3,000 permit fee in September 2025, which generated an estimated US$7.1 million in just four months, questions persist about accountability and remittance to the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA).
"The Ministry has effectively become the government's most aggressive revenue arm, but without transparency," the report states, warning that revenue generation without accountability deepens corruption and undermines labour market integrity.
Audit or Public Relations Exercise?
In June 2025, amid mounting public pressure from civil society, the Senate, and the CSA, the Ministry announced a nationwide audit of foreign work permits. The audit was billed as a bold reform, but its outcome raised more concerns than confidence. Of thousands of permits suspected of being irregular, only 19 were revoked.
No methodology indicating sectoral breakdown, or list of affected companies was published. There was also no disclosure of recovered funds or disciplinary action against officials involved in illegal approvals. LILGA concluded that the audit functioned largely as a public relations exercise rather than a genuine reform.
How the Ministry Performed: A Failing Scorecard
To quantify the depth of the crisis, the Annual Labour Report 2025 introduced a Labour Governance Scorecard, grading the Ministry of Labour across key performance indicators for 2024-2025. The results were unambiguous. On overall performance, the Ministry received an "F" grade, reflecting systemic failure to enforce labour laws, protect Liberian jobs, and uphold institutional integrity.
According to the scorecard, the Ministry scored an "F" in foreign work permit regulation, after evidence showed that thousands of permits were issued for jobs legally reserved for Liberians, often without labor market testing or vacancy advertisements. Audit and compliance enforcement also received an "F", following the revocation of just 19 permits out of thousands suspected to be irregular, with no public disclosure of audit scope or recovered revenues.
In the areas of worker protection and job creation, the Ministry was also graded "F" as rising unemployment and job displacement continued unchecked. Transparency and public accountability received a "D" score, based on limited press briefings and the lack of comprehensive reports, financial disclosures, or disciplinary actions against implicated officials.
In revenue generation, the Ministry earned an A+, having effectively abandoned its core mandate to aggressively generate income through alien work permit fees. However, in revenue management, the Ministry performed poorly, despite permit fees reportedly generating millions of dollars. This area was marked by allegations of fee diversion, private collections, and weak tracking and remittance of revenues to the Liberia Revenue Authority, reflecting a serious failure in financial accountability. Perhaps most troubling, the scorecard assigned the Ministry an "F" for its response to child labor and child trafficking, citing Liberia's damaging ranking in the 2024 U.S. State Department of Labor and U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons reports, which highlighted weak inspections, limited prosecutions, and insufficient protection for vulnerable children.
"The scorecard confirms what workers experience daily," the report notes adding, "This is not isolated mismanagement; it is institutional collapse."
Human Cost: Bong Mines, Bangli, and Sigma Group
Beyond statistics, the report documents severe human rights and labor abuses. At Bong Mines, operations involving China Union and its subcontractor Bangli PTE Ltd became emblematic of regulatory failure. In one case, a Liberian worker reportedly lost four toes due to unsafe working conditions. Attempts by labour inspectors to investigate were allegedly blocked by company staff and later countermanded by senior Ministry officials.
In May 2025, Bangli PTE Ltd applied for 42 Chinese technicians without job descriptions, vacancy announcements, or proof of skills shortages. Despite these omissions, permits were reportedly approved, displacing Liberian workers and violating the Decent Work Act.
Similarly, at the construction site of Orange Liberia's headquarters in Grand Bassa County, LILGA documented shocking conditions under Sigma Group. Sixty-four workers were housed in a three-bedroom apartment without electricity or sanitation. At the worksite, there were no toilets, no first aid, unsafe drinking water, and no occupational safety and health system. Workers were compelled to climb heights without safety belts and handle steel without protective gear.
"These are not isolated incidents," the report notes, "but symptoms of systemic neglect and impunity."
Internal Breakdown at the Ministry
The report also exposes deep internal dysfunction within the Ministry of Labour itself. Staff reportedly endured between seven and twelve months of unpaid salaries, while ghost names and duplicate payroll entries allegedly proliferated. The report further disclosed that consultants worked for over a year with minimal compensation, and allegations surfaced that officials demanded bribes to place names on payrolls.
Ethnic favoritism further paralyzed the administration, with key leadership roles allegedly dominated by individuals from the same tribal group, sidelining qualified inspectors and regional commissioners. This, LILGA argues, created parallel authority structures where loyalty outweighed competence and law.
Children at Risk
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The labor crisis extended to Liberia's most vulnerable, the children. The report references damaging findings from the 2024 U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons reports, which highlight Liberia's continued struggles with child labour and child trafficking. Weak inspections, limited prosecutions, and inadequate victim protection left children exposed in mining, agriculture, and informal sectors.
National Consequences
The cumulative impact has been severe. Rising unemployment, especially among youth and graduates, increased workplace abuse, loss of public confidence, and significant economic leakages have weakened Liberia's development prospects. Jobs ranging from engineering and accounting to driving, security, and administrative roles--positions Liberians are qualified to perform--are increasingly held by foreigners.
"The result is a labour market that no longer rewards merit or training," the report warns, "but connections and cash."
What Should 2026 Look Like?
LILGA's report concludes with sweeping recommendations, including a full forensic audit of the Ministry of Labour, cancellation of illegal waivers, prosecution of corrupt officials, and the establishment of an independent Alien Work Permit Authority. It also calls for digital permit systems linked to the LRA, strengthened unions, ethnic-neutral recruitment, and robust capacity-building programs for Liberian workers.
Worker protests across the country, from Bong Mines to the National Port Authority, Firestone, Monrovia Club Breweries, and the Liberia Electricity Corporation, signal growing resistance to exploitation and mismanagement.
"A reformed Ministry of Labour is not just an administrative necessity," the report concludes. "It is a national imperative," the report concluded.
