عربي
Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)
Press Release on the Results of the Labour Force Survey, in the West Bank Fourth Quarter (October – December, 2025) Round
More than One-Quarter of Participants of Labour Force in the West Bank Became Unemployed in the 4th Quarter of 2025
The number of employed persons from the West Bank in the 4th quarter of 2025 increased by 5 thousands compared with the 3rd quarter of 2025.
The number of employed persons from the West Bank (excluding those working abroad) increased from about 731 thousand in the 3rd quarter of 2025 to about 736 thousand in the 4th quarter of 2025, with a percentage of about 1%.
The number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank decreased by about 3 thousands between the 3rd quarter and the 4th quarter of 2025
The number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank decreased from about 687 thousand employed persons in the 3rd quarter of 2025 to 684 thousand employed persons in the 4th quarter of 2025.
Results showed that the decrease in the number of employed persons in the local market in the West Bank was due to the decrease in the number of employed persons in Construction activities, followed by Agriculture sector and Mining, Quarrying and Manufacturing.
The average daily wage for wage employees in the West Bank was 135.6 NIS, while the average weekly working hours was 41.3 hours per week. The average monthly working days was 22.4 working days.
About two-thirds of employed persons are wage employees
67.3% of employed persons are wage employees, 22.4% of employed persons are self-employed, 5.9% of employed persons are employers, and 4.4% are unpaid family members.
More than one-third of the wage employees in the private sector are hired without any employment contract.
41.5% of wage employees in the private sector are hired without any employment contract, and 35.8% of wage employees receive a contribution to their pension fund/end of service compensation. Moreover, 47.2% of wage female employees received a paid maternity leave.
14.6% 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 14.6% in the 4th 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 1,442 NIS.
More than one quarter of the labour force participants were unemployed in the West Bank in the 4th quarter of 2025
The unemployment rate among labour force participants (15 years and above) in the 4th quarter of 2025 was 27.5%, while the total underutilization of labour was about 30.0%. According to the International Labour Organization Standards (ICLS-19th), the unemployment rate among males in the West Bank reached 27.6%, compared to 26.9% for females.
Unemployment Rate (ICLS 19th) in the West Bank, Q1- 2023 – Q4-2025
The number of unemployed persons in the West Bank reached about 280 thousand in the 4th quarter of 2025 (27.5%) compared to about 293 thousand in the 3rd quarter of 2025 (28.5%).
The number of participants in the labour force remained at the same level about one million person in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2025.
Labor force participation rate among males in the West Bank reached 71.5% in the 4th quarter of 2025 compared to 70.3% in the 3rd quarter of 2025. Also participation rate among females reached 18.6% in the 4th quarter of 2025 compared to 18.9% in the 3rd quarter of 2025.
Within the same context, the total of labour underutilization reached 312 thousand persons.
Unemployment rate was the highest among youth graduates with an intermediate diploma certificate and higher
About 37.5% is the unemployment rate among youth graduates (aged 19-29 years) with intermediate diploma certificate and higher in the West Bank; 28.3% among males compared to 44.5% among females.
51 thousand employed individuals in Israel and Israeli settlements in the 4th quarter of 2025
The number of employed persons from the West Bank in Israel and Israeli settlements was about 51 thousand in the 4th quarter of 2025 compared to 44,000 in the 3rd quarter of 2025, where the total number of employed persons in Israel was about 31,400 in the 4th quarter of 2025 compared to 27,900 in the 3rd quarter of 2025, while the number of workers in Israeli settlements reached 20,400 in the 4th quarter 2025 compared to 16,100 in the 3rd quarter 2025.
The average daily wage for wage employees in Israel and Israeli settlements was 256.9 NIS in the 4th quarter of 2025, compared to 253.4 NIS in the 3rd quarter of 2025.