RAMALLAH, July 2, 2014 – (WAFA) -
In 2013 the unemployment rate rose to 51.5% among graduates aged 20-29 years
with a bachelor’s degree or an intermediate diploma in Palestine (40.7% in West
Bank and 64.9% in Gaza Strip) in contrast to 50.6% in 2012, according to a
report published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
In terms of the fields of
education, the PCBS report, Educational Fields and Labor Market for Individuals
Aged 20-29 Years in 2013, indicates that the highest rates of unemployment
among graduates aged 20-29 years with a bachelor’s degree or an intermediate
diploma in Gaza Strip were in the following fields of education: life sciences
(83.2%), teacher training and education (76.0%), humanities (73.1%) and social
and behavioral sciences (68.8%).
The highest unemployment rates in
West Bank for the same age group by fields of education were as follows: life
sciences (57.5%), teacher training and education (54.4%), humanities (49.8%),
social and behavioral sciences (48.9%) and mathematics and statistics (47.7%).
In terms of unemployment rate
among male graduates aged 20-29 years, the report indicates that the highest
unemployment rates among male graduates aged 20-29 years with an intermediate
diploma or bachelor’s degree in Palestine in 2013 were in the following fields
of education: personal services (44.9%), mathematics and statistics (44.6%),
teacher training and education (38.2%), journalism and information (36.9%) and
health (35.8%).
In terms of unemployment rate of
female graduates aged 20-29 years, the report indicates that the highest
unemployment rates among female graduates aged 20-29 years with an intermediate
diploma or bachelor’s degree in 2013 were in the following fields of education:
journalism and information (89.0%), life sciences (82.4%), social and
behavioral sciences (74.4%), humanities (73.9%) and teacher training and
education science (70.9%).
There are around 30 thousand
graduates annually from Palestinian higher education institutions. In the
2013/2014 academic year, there were around 85 thousand applicants for the
general matriculation exam.
In 2013, around 84 thousand males
aged 20-29 years obtained an intermediate diploma or bachelor’s degree. They
were specialized in the following fields of education: business and
administration (25.1%), health (13.0%), engineering and engineering trades
(10.7%), social and behavioral sciences (8.9%), humanities (6.8%), and
computing (6.2%).
In 2012, there were 79 thousand
male graduates aged 20-29 years. The majority of them majored in business and
administration (25.3%).
The majority of female graduates
aged 20-29 years specialized in business and administration.
In 2013, there were 104 thousand
female graduates aged 20-29 years with a bachelor’s degree or an intermediate
diploma specialized in the following fields of education: business and administration
(19.4%), teacher training and education (19.0%), humanities (18.1%), social and
behavioral sciences (12.4%), and health (8.4%).
In 2012, there were 97 thousand
female graduates aged 20-29 years, the majority of them majoring in humanities
(20.2%).
M.N./K.F./T.R.
