RAMALLAH, Thursday, October 27, 2022 (WAFA) – There are 524,263 employed persons in economic enterprises operating in Palestine (349,539 employed persons in the West Bank and 174,724 employed persons in Gaza Strip), with an increase of 3.8% compared with 2020, said a press release issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).

PCBS said that among the percentage distribution in 2021, internal trade activity contributed to the highest percentage of operating among employees with 39.4% of the total number of employees, followed by services that constituted 30.8%, industry 22.1%, finance and insurance activities 2.8%, construction activities 1.8%, and the percentages of the information and communications, and transportation and storage activities reached 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively.

The number of employees ranged between unpaid employees (owners of the enterprises and their household members) which constituted 34.4% of the total number of employees and wage employees which constituted 65.6% of the total number of employees. The total value of compensation for wage employees reached $743.32, million.

Number of Employees in Private and Non-Government Sectors by Economic Activity and Region in 2021:

The total value of output by economic enterprises was $14,385.0 million in Palestine ($12,292.6 million in the West Bank and $2,092.4 million in Gaza Strip) with an increase of 9.6% compared with 2020.

Among the percentage distribution 2021, industrial activities contributed with 34.7% of the total output followed by internal trade activities which constituted 31.6%, services activities reached 20.7%, finance and insurance activities reached 7.4%, information and communications reached 3.5%, while percentages of construction activities and transportation and storage activities reached 1.3% and 0.8%, respectively.

An Increase of 9.7% in the Value Added of the Economic Activities in Palestine in 2021 Compared with 2020.

Results showed that the total value added of economic activities in 2021 was $9,755.1 million with an increase of 9.7% compared with 2020, due to the reduction of procedures taken to stop the outbreak of COVID-19 in Palestine.

In 2021, the highest value-added was from the internal trade activities with a percentage of 38.3%, followed by industry activities with a percentage of 24.7%, services activities with a percentage of 23.5%, finance and insurance activities with a percentage of 7.7%, information and communications activities with a percentage of 3.9%, construction 1.0%, and transportation and storage with a percentage of 0.9%.

T.R.