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PCBS | PCBS: The Labour Force Survey Results, 2019

The Labour Force Survey Results 2019
Bethlehem Governorate registered the highest unemployment rate in the West Bank while Deir Al-Balah was the highest in Gaza Strip.

25% was the unemployment rate among labour force participants in Palestine in 2019, total labour underutilization was 33%.

Using the latest Revised ILO standards ICLS 19th, the number of unemployed was 343,800 in 2019, distributed as 215,100 in Gaza Strip and 128,700 in the West Bank. The unemployment rate in Gaza Strip was 45% compared with 15% in the West Bank, while the unemployment rate for males in Palestine was 21% compared with 41% for females.

Total labour underutilization was 487,400 person including 73,100 discouraged jobseekers and 20,500 in time-related underemployment.

Bethlehem governorate in the West Bank and Dier Al-Balah governorate in Gaza Strip were registered the highest  Unemployment rate in 2019.

Bethlehem Governorate recorded the highest unemployment rate in West Bank about 23% followed by Jenin governorate about 22% while Jerusalem and Qalqiliya governorates registered the lowest in the West Bank Governorates about 7% for each of them, in Gaza Strip Dier Al-Balah Governorate registered the highest unemployment rate about 52% followed by Khan Yunis about 49% while the lowest registered in Gaza governorate about 41%.

Unemployment rate was the highest among youth graduates

52% is the unemployment rate of youth graduates (19-29) years who hold associate diploma certificate and above, 68% for females compared with 35% for males.



A large gap in the labour force participation rate between males and females
About 7 out of 10 of males are participated in the labor force, compared with about 2 out of 10 of females.

There is an increased in the participation rate of females between Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where the percentages were 19% in Gaza Strip and 17% in the West Bank.

The number of entrants into the labour market in 2019 was about 61 thousand, 32 thousand individuals of them in the West Bank and 29 thousand individuals in Gaza Strip

The number of employed in the local market increased between 2018 and 2019
The number of the employed in the local market increased from 827 thousand in 2018 to 877 thousand in 2019, which it increased in the West Bank by 8%, and in Gaza Strip increased by 3% for the same period.

The services sector and other branches (including education and health) was the biggest employer in the local market, where the percentage of employment was more than one third of employed in the West Bank compared with more than half in Gaza Strip.

The average weekly hours worked by wage employees in the West Bank was 44.1 hour compared with 36.6 hour in Gaza Strip. And the average number of days worked per month was 22.8 day in West Bank and 22.7 day in Gaza Strip.
133 thousand employed in Israel and Israeli settlements in 2019

The number of employed in Israel and Israeli settlements was about 133 thousand in 2019, and the largest share of those 71% had a permit, and 20% worked without any permit, while who had an Israeli identity card or foreign passport about 9%.

The number of employed in Israeli settlements was 23 thousand in 2019 compared with 22 thousand in 2018.

The construction sector registered the highest employment rate in Israel and Israeli settlements, which was 64% of the total Palestinian employment in Israel and Israeli settlements.

The average daily wage for the wage employees in Israel and Israeli settlements increased between 2018 and 2019 by 11 NIS, to reached  254 NIS.

7 out of 10 of employed are wage employees
71% of employed are wage employees, 25% are self- employed and employers, while 4% are unpaid family members

.

About half of the wage employees in the private sector hired without any contract
48% of wage employees in the private sector hired without any contract, and 29% of wage employees contribute to a pension fund. In contrast, less than half of wage employees women (48%) have paid maternity leave.

30% of wage employees in the private sector received less than the minimum wage (1,450 NIS) in Palestine
There had a decreased in the wage employees in the private sector received less than the minimum wage in the West Bank from 12% to 10% between 2018 and 2019, while the percentage in Gaza Strip increased from 72% to 80% during the same period.
The gap in the minimum monthly wage rate remains high between the West Bank and Gaza Strip; 660 NIS in Gaza Strip compared with 1,038 NIS in the West Bank.

High percentage of child labour in the West Bank than in Gaza Strip
3% of children aged (10-17 years) were employed; 4% in the West Bank and 1% in Gaza Strip.

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