The official unemployment rate in crisis-hit Lebanon jumped almost three-fold to reach 29.6 percent at the start of the year, a joint survey by the UN and the government said Thursday. “Lebanon’s unemployment rate increased from 11.4 percent in 2018-2019 to 29.6 percent in January 2022, indicating that almost one third of the active labour force was unemployed in January 2022,” it said. After years of corrupt practices and financial mismanagement, Lebanon’s economy collapsed two years ago, stripping the national currency of 95% of its value and sending poverty rates soaring. The rare survey re…