Palestinian Labor and Employment

"An Introduction"

Since the early 1970s, the Israeli economy's demand for Palestinian workers has increased. Until 1990, there was relative freedom of movement into Israel, and the authorities, by failing to enforce the requirements of worker registration, permitted employers to evade their legal responsibilities and encouraged the predominant pattern of daily contracts. In 1990, Israel began to limit substantially the number of Palestinians working in Israel through movement restrictions and a new system of compulsory work permits, attempting to replace them with Israelis or Soviet immigrants. Around 60% of workers were not registered with the authorities, employed instead through agents or "stop markets" at major inter-sections where employers pick up day laboures. The Gaza Strip is especially dependent on Israel - around 60% of the Gaza GNP at the beginning of the intifada came from work in Israel. In 1993, the total number of Palestinians employed in Israel was only about 84, 000, and declined constantly afterwards. Meanwhile, Israel has imported more than 70.000 workers from Rumania and Thailand to replace the Palestinians.

The following are some statistics about the Palestinian Labor Force as compiled by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS):

Employed persons are distributed by employment status as follows:

Employed persons in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are distributed by Industry as follows:

Employed persons in West Bank and Gaza Strip are distributed by place of work as follows:

 

Courtesy:Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs (PASSIA)

Statistics:Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS)