Ramallah, April 30, 2026 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said that unemployment rates in the Gaza Strip rose to about 68% during the war, with the labor force participation rate decreasing to about 25% compared to 40% before the war, while in the West Bank it rose to about 28% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to about 13% in the third quarter of 2023.
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) indicated in a statement issued on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, which falls on Friday, that the number of workers in the West Bank decreased from 868,000 workers in the third quarter of 2023 to about 736,000 workers in the fourth quarter of 2025, a decrease of 15%, as a result of the decline in job opportunities in several economic activities, most notably construction, followed by mining and manufacturing, then transportation, storage and communications.
In the Gaza Strip, he explained that the number of workers in the third quarter of 2023 was about 292,000 workers, with a participation rate of 55%, but this rate declined significantly during the war to about 32% in the fourth quarter of 2024, as a result of job losses and the increase in the number of unemployed people.
He added that the results of the labor force survey in the Gaza Strip during the war showed that about 74% of those who were employed became unemployed or outside the labor force, while the youth category (15-29 years old) was greatly affected, as the percentage of young people outside education, training and the labor market reached about 74%, with 75% for males and 73% for females.
The statistics indicated that the impact of the crisis was not limited to the Gaza Strip, but was also reflected in the West Bank, where the number of unemployed rose to about 280,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to about 129,000 in the third quarter of 2023.
Unemployment rates in the West Bank also rose to about 28% in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 13% in the third quarter of 2023.
Regarding work within the 1948 territories and settlements, the results showed that the number of workers from the West Bank decreased from about 172,000 workers in the third quarter of 2023 to 25,000 workers in the fourth quarter of the same year, then gradually increased to 51,000 workers in the fourth quarter of 2025, where the largest decrease was in the number of workers with work permits, as it declined from about 127,000 to 14,000, while the number of workers without a permit decreased from 37,000 to 21,000, and the number of workers holding Israeli, Jerusalemite or foreign identity cards increased from about 8,000 to about 17,000 workers.
According to the statement, the percentage of informal employment reached about 60% in the West Bank in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 62% in the third quarter of 2023, while the percentage of workers in the informal sector reached about 42%, compared to 46% in the same period.
Regarding wages, the average real daily wage for salaried private sector employees in the West Bank was about 120 shekels in the fourth quarter of 2025, compared to 126 shekels in the third quarter of 2023.
The transport, storage and communications activity recorded the highest daily wage rates at 169 shekels, followed by the construction activity at 141 shekels, while the agriculture activity recorded the lowest rate at 71 shekels.
The Statistics Authority indicated that 14.6% of wage earners in the private sector in the West Bank receive a monthly wage below the minimum wage (1,880 shekels), compared to 12% in the third quarter of 2023.
The data also showed that only about 40% of paid employees in the private sector receive their rights to leave, end-of-service bonus or retirement, which is almost the same percentage in the third quarter of 2023, while 47% of working women still receive paid maternity leave in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared to 51% in the previous period.
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E.R.
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