عربي
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)
About One-Quarter of Participants of Labour Force in the West Bank Became Unemployed in the 3rd Quarter of 2025
The number of employed persons from the West Bank in the 3rd quarter of 2025 increased by 17 thousand compared with the 2nd quarter of 2025.
The number of employed persons from the West Bank (excluding those working abroad) increased from about 714 thousand in the 2nd quarter of 2025 to about 731 thousand in the 3rd quarter of 2025, with a percentage of about 2.4%. (An increase of 12,000 workers in the West Bank and an increase of 5,000 workers in Israel and the settlements).
The number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank increased by about 12 thousand between the 2nd quarter and the 3rd quarter of 2025
The number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank increased from about 675 thousand employed persons in the 2nd quarter of 2025 to 687 thousand employed persons in the 3rd quarter of 2025, an increase of about 2%.
Results showed that the increase in the number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank was due to the increase in the number of employed persons in Manufacturing activities, followed by Services activities, then Construction activities.
The average daily wage for wage employees in the West Bank was 139.2 NIS, while the average weekly working hours was 42.1 hours per week. The average monthly working days was 22.4 working days.
About two-thirds of employed persons are wage employees
66.3% of employed persons are wage employees, 23.1% of employed persons are self-employed, 5.5% of employed persons are employers, and 5.1% are unpaid family members.
More than one-third of the wage employees in the private sector are hired without any employment contract.
43.0% of wage employees in the private sector are hired without any employment contract, and 37.5% of wage employees receive a contribution to their pension fund/end of service compensation. Moreover, 50.9% of wage female employees received a paid maternity leave.
15% of wage employees in the private sector receive a monthly wage of less than the minimum wage level (1,880 NIS) in the West Bank
The percentage of wage employees in the private sector who receive a monthly wage less than the minimum wage level in the West Bank was 15.2% in the 3rd quarter of 2025 (about 40 thousand employees).
It is worth mentioning that the Council of Ministers issued a decree stating that the minimum wage is to be (1,880 NIS) as of the beginning of 2022.
The average monthly wage for those who receive less than the minimum wage in the West Bank was 1,485 NIS.
More than one quarter of the labour force participants were unemployed in the West Bank in the 3rd quarter of 2025
The unemployment rate among labour force participants (15 years and above) in the 3rd quarter of 2025 was 28.5%, while the total underutilization of labour was about 31.1%. According to the International Labour Organization Standards (ICLS-19th), the unemployment rate among males in the West Bank reached 28.1%, compared to 30.2% for females
Unemployment Rate (ICLS 19th) in the West Bank, Q1- 2023 – Q3-2025
The number of unemployed persons in the West Bank reached about 293 thousand in the 3rd quarter of 2025 (28.5%) compared to about 287 thousand in the 2nd quarter of 2025 (28.6%).
The number of participants in the labor force in the West Bank reached about 1.025 million in the 3rd quarter of 2025, compared to about 1.004 million in the 2nd quarter of 2025. The participation rate was 46.1% in the 3rd quarter of 2025, compared to 45.4% in the 2nd quarter of 2025.
Labor force participation rate among males in the West Bank reached 72.4% in the 33d quarter of 2025 compared to 72.1% in the 2nd quarter of 2025. Also participation rate among females reached 18.9% in the 3rd quarter of 2025 compared to 17.8% in the 2nd quarter of 2025.
Within the same context, the total of labour underutilization reached 326 thousand persons.
Unemployment rate was the highest among youth graduates with an intermediate diploma certificate and higher
About 43.2% is the unemployment rate among youth graduates (aged 19-29 years) with intermediate diploma certificate and higher in the West Bank; 31.5% among males compared to 52.0% among females.
44 thousand employed individuals in Israel and Israeli settlements in the 3rd quarter of 2025
The number of employed persons from the West Bank in Israel and Israeli settlements was about 44,000 in the 3rd quarter of 2025, where the total number of employed persons in Israel was about 27,900 in the 3rd quarter of 2025 compared to 23,400 in the 2nd quarter of 2025, while the number of workers in Israeli settlements reached 16,100 in the 3rd quarter 2025 compared to 15,700 in the 2nd quarter 2025.
The average daily wage for wage employees in Israel and Israeli settlements was 253.4 NIS in the 3rd quarter of 2025, compared to 243.4 NIS in the 2snd quarter of 2025.