Conflict dismantles formal labour markets, forcing communities into fragile informal arrangements or illicit economies. Amid protracted crises, humanitarian interventions and stabilisation initiatives often struggle to generate systemic or sustainable economic recovery. For international actors intending to navigate this complex and volatile space, understanding informal value chains, deep-seated skills gaps, influential stakeholders and localised market dynamics is critical. In the absence of grounded data and expert insight, interventions risk distorting local economies, selecting unviable local partners or failing to identify stable labour resources necessary for stimulating, capitalising on and delivering long-term economic recovery.