RAMALLAH, April 30, 2018 (WAFA) – Unemployment rate was 27.7% in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2017, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said on Monday, with unemployment in Gaza Strip reaching 43.9% compared with 17.9% in the West Bank.

PCBS said on the occasion of the International Workers’ Day that unemployment rate for males in Palestine was 22.5% compared with 47.8% for females.

PCBS said labor force participation rate in the West Bank was 45.3% and 45.1% in Gaza Strip, the gap in the participation rate between males and females in Palestine is still very big; where it reached 70.9% for males compared with 19.0% for females.

The private sector was the biggest employer in the local market with 52.7% in 2017, 54.3% in Gaza Strip and 52.0% in the West Bank, while public sector employed 30.5% in 2017.

It said the number of wage employees in Palestine amounted to 666 thousands; of whom 333 thousand where in the West Bank, 221 thousand in Gaza Strip, 92 thousand in Israel, and 20 thousand in Israeli settlements.

The PCBS said daily real wages in the private sector was about 71 NIS ($19.7) in 2017; 84 NIS ($23) in the West Bank, and 44 NIS ($12) in the Gaza Strip.

About 36% of wage employees in the private sector received less than the minimum wage of 1,450 NIS (approximately $404) in Palestine.

In the West Bank, 16.2% of wage employees in the private sector received less than minimum monthly wage of about 37.500 wage employees within an average of monthly wage by 1,079 NIS (approximately $300).  

In Gaza Strip, the percentage of wage employed in the private sector who received less than minimum monthly wage was 74.0% of 88,800 wage employees with an average of monthly wage 731 NIS ($203).

C.K./T.R.