Improving labour market prospects

Context

High levels of unemployment and underemployment among young people pose great challenges in the Palestinian territories. The situation varies from one region to another. While around 15 per cent of people in the West Bank are unemployed, the rate in Gaza is 50 per cent. People in Gaza also remain without employment for longer than in the West Bank. The situation of young people and women is particularly serious. The participation of women in the labour market is only 17 per cent, which is one of the lowest figures worldwide. Despite the high level of unemployment, there is also a lack of skilled workers. Many experts and workers are leaving the country, and the qualifications of young employees and graduates often don’t match the requirements of employers. Moreover, the employment conditions in micro and small enterprises are poor. Many people in the country work only informally and have no contractually secured employment relationship.

Objective

The labour market policy in the Palestinian territories is able to meet the needs of job seekers and companies.

Approach

The project operates in three connected fields of activity:

• Improving national and regional labour market coordination
• Improving the quality and relevance of labour market services for job seekers
• Strengthening the expertise of labour market service providers for companies

The project builds on the successes of its predecessor. Continuing the well-established cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, for which it has provided advisory work on r labour market services. The predecessor project reached approximately 5,500 job seekers, 2,500 of whom have found employment. Companies affected by the pandemic, especially in the tourism industry, received wage subsidies along with labour market services aiming at retaining jobs and creating new ones.

Last update: March 2023