|
Palestinian
Central Bureau of
Statistics-PCBS
Press
Release on
Labour Force Survey Results
(January-
March, 2009)
Round
Unemployment rate
registered the highest in Tulkarm governorate among the West Bank
Governorates,
While Khan Younis Governorate registered the highest among Gaza Strip
governorates
This report
is based on the labour
force quarterly survey. Data was collected during 02/01/2009 to
02/04/2009,
representing the 1st
quarter of 2009. The data of this
round was compared with the data of the 4th
quarter of 2008 and the
1st
quarter of 2008
The survey
sample of
this
round is based on the 2007 census sampling frame, 7,627 households were
selected to represent the Palestinian society of which 6,688
questionnaires were
completed
Economically Active
According
to the ILO
standards, the labour force participation rate in the Palestinian
Territory
during the 1st
quarter of 2009 was the same as the 4th
quarter of 2008 (41.4%) (while it was 40.6% during the 1st
quarter of
2008). The
participation rate of women increased from 15.0% in the
4th
quarter 2008 to 15.4% in the 1st
quarter 2009, with a
change rate of 2.7%
Unemployed
Persons
According
to the relaxed definition of unemployment, the
percentage of persons who don’t work nevertheless seeking or not seeking
job,
decreased from 33.4% in the 4th
quarter 2008 to 30.6% in the
1st
quarter 2009, compared with 28.9% in the 1st
quarter
2008
According
to the ILO standards, the percentage of
persons who don’t work, but seeking job decreased by 9.8%, from 27.9% in
the
4th
quarter 2008 to 25.4% in the 1st
quarter 2009,
compared with 22.6% in the 1st
quarter
2008.
The results
showed that unemployment rate
in
the West Bank decreased from 19.8% in the 4th
quarter 2008 to
19.5%
in the 1st
quarter 2009, also it decreased in Gaza Strip from
44.8%
in the 4th
quarter 2008 to 37.0% in the 1st
quarter
2009
Tulkarm
governorate registered the highest unemployment
rate
among the West Bank governorates (26.3%) followed by Hebron governorate
at
(25.6%).
While
Jerusalem and Jericho and AL Aghwar registered the lowest
percentages of unemployment (6.2% and 11.0% respectively). While in Gaza
Strip,
Khan
Younis governorate registered the highest percentage of unemployment
(46.7%)
followed by
North Gaza governorate (39.0%), then Rafah governorate
(38.2%)
The results
showed that the highest percentage of
unemployment was concentrated among youth aged 15-29; it reached 39.4%,
thereof
31.7%
in the West
Bank and 58.6% in Gaza Strip, followed by 20-24 age group
which reached 39.0%, thereof 31.2% in the West Bank and 52.9% in Gaza
Strip,
then
25-29 group, it reached 28.8%, thereof 22.6% in the West Bank and 38.5%
in
Gaza Strip
The results
showed that unemployment rate among females
who
did not complete any years of schooling was 4.5%. Whereas, this
percentage
reached 31.0% for females completed 13 years of schooling and over
compared
with
17.0% among males. While the highest rate was among males who completed
1-6
years at
32.8%
Employed
Persons
The results
showed increase in the number of employed
persons between the 4th
quarter 2008, and 1st
quarter 2009
by
51 thousands employees, the number of employed persons reached 697
thousand
in
the 1st
quarter 2009 compared with 646 thousand in the
4th quarter
2008, also the results showed significant increased of
employed women from 124 thousands to 131 thousands between the 4th
quarter 2008 and 1st
quarter 2009
At economic
activity level the results showed that the
percentage of those who are working in agriculture sector in the West
Bank
decreased
from 16.3% to 13.2% between 4th
quarter 2008 and
1st
quarter 2009, while the percentage of those who are working in
construction sector increased from 9.1% to 10.0%. While in Gaza Strip
the
results
showed that all activities was affected from the closure imposed by
Israeli military authority, for that there was increase of those who are
working
in
agriculture sector from 7.1% in the 4th
quarter 2008 to 8.4% in
the
1st
quarter 2009, also the percentage of employed persons in
commerce, restaurants and hotels sector increased from 16.2% in 4th
quarter 2008
to
16.9%
in the 1st
quarter 2009. On the other
hand, the results showed that the percentage of employed persons at
services and
other branches sector reached 35.7% in the West Bank and 63.0% in Gaza
Strip in
the
1st
quarter 2009
The results
in the West Bank showed decrease of the
percentage of wage employees, it decreased from 67.9% in the 4th quarter
2008 to
64.6%
in the 1st
quarter 2009, and unpaid family members decreased
from
10.7% to 8.6% while the percentage of self employed increased from 16.4%
to
20.8%
at the same
period
While in
Gaza Strip the percentage of wage employees
decreased from 79.0% to 73.7%, whereas the percentage of self employed
increased
from
12.0% to 14.9% and the percentage of unpaid family members increased
from
5.5%
to 6.1% at
the same period
The
employment from the West Bank in Israel and Israeli
settlements decreased from 16.1% in the 4th
quarter 2008 to 14.0% in
the
1st
quarter 2009, whereas
in
Gaza
Strip there was no access for workers to enter
Israeli settlements
The results
showed that the public sector employed one
fourth (25.9%) of total employed, (17.0% in the West Bank and 48.3% in
Gaza
Strip)
Wages and
Work
Hours
The average
value of the nominal daily net wage of
employees worked in the West Bank decreased from
87.4
NIS in
4th
quarter 2008 to 83.8 NIS in the 1st
quarter 2009,
compared with 84.8 NIS in the 1st
quarter 2008. Also in Gaza Strip
the
nominal daily net wage of employees increased from 61.2 NIS in the
4th
quarter 2008 to 62.2 NIS in the 1st
quarter 2009.
While the nominal daily net wage for those working in Israel and Israeli
settlements increased from 113.8 NIS in the 4th
quarter 2008 to 142.1
NIS
in the 1st
quarter 2009, compared with 139.9 NIS in the
1st
quarter 2008
The average
weekly work hours in the West Bank decreased
from
43.1 work hour in 4th
quarter 2008 to 42.0 work hour in the
1st
quarter 2009, while decreased in Gaza Strip from 39.9 work hour
to
38.8 work hour, also it decreased for those working in Israel and
Israeli
settlements
from 44.7 work hour to 42.8 work hour at the same
period
|
