BEIRUT, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Renewed hostilities in Lebanon have caused widespread job losses and sharply reduced incomes among private sector workers, with one in three respondents no longer employed and average labour income falling by an estimated 40.4 percent, a report released Tuesday by the International Labour Organization has shown.

The report was based on a survey of 2,485 private sector workers conducted in May in partnership with the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers and the Federation of Employees' and Workers' Unions in Lebanon, the UN agency said.

It found that 33 percent of respondents were no longer working at the time of the survey, including 28.2 percent who were unemployed and 4.7 percent who had exited the labour force.

Job losses were most severe in conflict-affected southern Lebanon, reaching 76.5 percent among residents of Nabatieh Governorate and 43.2 percent among residents of South Lebanon Governorate.

Among workers who remained employed, average labour income declined by 14.8 percent, while those who found new jobs earned on average 30.7 percent less than before, with many moving into informal employment or self-employment, the report said.

Many households relied on savings, delayed loan and bill repayments, and reduced food spending to cope with the economic impact, it added.