RAMALLAH, May 16, 2012 (WAFA) - Unemployment rate in the Palestinian Territory reached 23.9% in first quarter 2012, bringing total number of unemployed people to about 261,000, divided into 147,000 in the West Bank and 114,000 in Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Wednesday.
Unemployment rate in Gaza Strip was 31.5% compared with 20.1% in the West Bank, and the unemployment rate for males in the Palestinian Territory was 22% compared to 31.5% for females, added PCBS.
Labor force participation rate of persons aged 15 years and above was 43.4% in the first quarter of 2012, bringing the total to over 1 million divided into 731,000 in the West Bank and 363,000 in Gaza Strip.
The labor force participation rate in the West Bank was 45.4% and 39.9% in Gaza Strip. The gap in the participation rate between males and females was very big and reached 68.9% for males compared with 17.3% for females, added the press release.
About 66.5% of employed workers in the Palestinian Territory are waged employees: 63.2% in the West Bank compared with 74.4% in Gaza Strip, said PCBS, adding that around 28.6% of waged employees are hired by contract, compared with 44.9% hired without a contract.
The public sector employed 23.1% of the labor force: 39.1% in Gaza Strip and 16.3% in the West Bank, with an average daily wage for waged employees in the West Bank of $22.27 compared with $16.66 in Gaza Strip.
The number of Palestinian workers employed in Israel and Israeli settlements reached about 77,000 in the first quarter of 2012, said PCBS.
The number of workers from the West Bank employed in Israel and Israeli settlements fell from 84,000 in the 4th quarter 2011 to 77,000 in first quarter 2012. Of these, 37,000 had a permit, 19,000 worked without a permit, and 21,000 workers have an Israeli identity card or foreign passport.
PCBS press release noted that 59.1% of workers employed in Israel and Israeli settlements work in the construction sector.
A total 3.5% of children aged 10-17 years are employed in the Palestinian Territory: 4.9% in the West Bank and 1.4% in Gaza Strip.
R.Q./M.S.
