Work in Middle East may make one be listless (4)
I believe the answer is:
mope
'one be listless' is the definition.
(to mope is to be listless or despondent)
'work in middle east' is the wordplay.
'work' becomes 'op' (common abbreviation for 'opus').
'in' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'middle east' becomes 'me' (abbreviation for Middle East).
'op' put into 'me' is 'MOPE'.
'may make' is the link.
(Other definitions for mope that I've seen before include "Be listless or depressed" , "Sulk over poem." , "Misery guts" , "Hang about moodily over poem" , "Wander round gloomily" .)