Press Report on Labour Force Survey Results

Round (17) (April – June, 2000)

 This report is based on the Labour Force quarterly Survey. Data was collected for the 17th survey from 8/4/2000 to 7/7/2000, representing the first quarter of 2000.

The results of the 17th round (Second quarter of 2000) are being compared with the 16th round (First quarter of 2000) and with the Second quarter of 2000 (13th round).

The survey sample of this round is based on the 1997 census, 7559 households were chosen to represent the Palestinian society and the results are the following:

  • The results show a decrease in labour force participation rate of those aged 15 years and above in the Palestinian Territory between the 2nd quarter of 2000 and 1st quarter of 2000, (i.e from 40.8% to 42.5%). It shows also an increase with comparison to the 2nd quarter of 1999 in which the labour force reached 41.8%. The labour force participation rate in the West Bank and Gaza Strip increased (i.e. 43.9% and 39.5% respectively) compared with the 1st quarter of 2000 in which it reached 42.1% and 38.2% respectively. In the 2nd quarter of 1999, it reached 43.7% in the West Bank and 37.7% in Gaza Strip.
  • The unemployment rate in the Palestinian Territory decreased from 11.8% in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 10.9% in the 1st quarter of 2000 and decreased in the 2nd quarter of 2000 to reach 8.8%. Unemployment rate also decreased in West Bank and Gaza Strip to 6.5% and 13.8% respectively, compared with 2nd quarter of 1999, however it decreased in the West Bank from 8.9% to 6.5% compared with the previous quarter in the same year, whereas it decreased in Gaza Strip from 15.3% to 13.8%.
  • With regard to distribution of employees by industry, there was an indication to an increase in percentage of those working in agriculture i.e. it reached 13.4% in the 2nd quarter of 2000, compared with 12.6% in the 1st quarter of the same year, and 13.1% in the 2nd quarter of 1999. The results show an increase in percentage of those working in agriculture in Gaza Strip, i.e. the percentage increased from 13.5% in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 16.6% in the 2nd quarter of 2000 also it decreased  in the West Bank from 12.9% in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 12.1% in the 2nd quarter of 2000.
  • The results showed an obvious decrease in percentage of those working in construction in Gaza Strip compared to the 2nd quarter of 1999 and 2000, i.e. it decreased from 18.3% to 16.0%, while it increased between the two periods in the West Bank i.e. from 24.4% to 25.0%.
  • The results show an increase in percentage of wage employees in the West Bank (i.e. from 65.3% in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 68.1% in the same quarter of 2000) while in Gaza Strip it decreased from 73.4% to 70.9% in the same period.
  • On the contrast, the percentage of those working as employers in the Palestinian Territory decreased from 6.0% in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 4.2% in the same quarter of 2000. There was an obvious decrease in West Bank i.e. from 6.9% to 5.0%, also it decreased from 3.5% to 2.3% in Gaza Strip.
  • The Value of the nominal daily net wage of the employees in West Bank increased from 64.9 NIS in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 68.7 NIS in the 1st quarter of 2000 and to 69.4 in the 2nd quarter in 2000, a net increase of 4.5 NIS. In Gaza Strip the average daily wage increased from 51.9 NIS in the 2nd quarter of 1999 to 54.3 NIS in the 2nd quarter 2000. The Average daily net wage for those working in Israel and settlements increased form 104.5 NIS to 111.2 NIS  in the 2nd quarters of 1999 and 2nd quarter of 2000 respectively.

Main Findings

Population aged 15 years and above

  • The percentage of the population aged 15 years and over is 53.2% at the beginning of 2000.
  • The labour force participation rate reached 42.5% in the Palestinian Territory, 43.9% in the West Bank and 39.5% in Gaza Strip.

The distribution of labour force participants aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory by labour force components and region is as follows:

Region

Full Employment

Underemployment

Unemployment

Total (%)

West Bank

86.4

7.1 6.5

100

Gaza Strip

84.6 1.6 13.8

100

Palestinian Territory

85.8 5.4 8.8

100


The distribution of Children 10-14 Years in the Palestinian Territory by labour force components and region is as follows:

Region

Labour Force

Outside Labour Force

Total (%)

West Bank

2.3 97.7

100

Gaza Strip

0.5 88.5

100

Palestinian Territory

1.6 98.4

100


3-3 Employment

Employed persons aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory are distributed by employment status as follows:

Employment Status

West Bank (%)

Gaza Strip (%)

Palestinian Territory (%)

Employer

5.0 2.3 4.2

Self Employed

19.3 17.1 18.7

Wage Employee

66.9 70.9 68.1

Unpaid Family Member

8.8 9.7 9.0

Total

100

100

100


Employed Persons aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory are Distributed by Industry and Region as Follows:

Industry

West Bank (%)

Gaza Strip (%)

Palestinian Territory (%)

Agriculture, fishing and forestry

12.1 16.6 13.4

Mining, quarrying and manufacturing

15.3 12.5 14.4

Construction

25.0 16.0 22.3

Commerce, restaurants and hotels

18.8 11.5 16.6

Transportation, storage and communication

4.8 4.6 4.7

Services and other branches

24.0 38.8 28.6

Total

100

100

100


Work days and hours and wages

The average weekly work hours, average monthly work days and average daily wage per employee aged 15 years and over according aged 15 years and over to Place of Work are as follows:

West Bank

Gaza Strip

Israel and Settlements

Average weekly work hours

45.0 41.7 43.7

Average monthly work days

23.7 24.1 19.5

Median daily net wage in NIS

65.4 48.1 100.0

Average daily net wage in NIS

69.4 54.3 111.2

3-4 Unemployment

  • The unemployment rate for people aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory reached 8.8% on average specifically 6.5% in West Bank and13.8% in Gaza Strip.

Distribution of Unemployment for people aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory by Age and Sex:

Age

Male (%)

Female (%)

Total (%)

15-19

13.7 4.8 13.2

20-24

11.5 24.9 13.6

25-29

8.4 16.7 9.6

30-34

6.6 14.9 8.0

35-39

6.9 6.3 6.8

40-44

5.9 4.0 5.4

45-49

6.3 5.8 6.2

50+

5.3 - 4.4

Overall Average

8.3 11.7 8.8

Distribution of Unemployment for people aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory by Age and Region:

Age

West Bank (%)

Gaza Strip (%)

Total (%)

15-19

8.7 23.5 13.2

20-24

10.2 21.2 13.6

25-29

7.2 15.4 9.6

30-34

5.9 12.4 8.0

35-39

5.4 9.6 6.8

40-44

3.9 8.5 5.4

45-49

4.1 10.3 6.2

50+

3.5 6.4 4.4

Overall Average

6.5 13.8 8.8

Distribution of Unemployment for people aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory by Years of Schooling and Sex:

Years of Schooling

Male (%)

Female (%)

Total (%)

0

6.7 0.3 3.3

1-6

10.1 4.3 9.4

7-9

8.8 6.1 8.6

10-12

8.1 5.1 7.8

13+

6.2 21.9 10.6

Overall Average

8.3 11.7 8.8

Distribution of Unemployment for people aged 15 years and over in the Palestinian Territory by Years of Schooling and Region:

Years of Schooling

West Bank (%)

Gaza Strip (%)

Total (%)

0

1.9 6.0 3.3

1-6

6.2 15.4 9.4

7-9

7.1 12.7 8.6

10-12

5.8 12.4 7.8

13+

7.6 16.3 10.6

Overall Average

6.5 13.8 8.8

3-5 Persons outside labour force

  • The percentage of persons aged 15 years and over outside the labour force in the Palestinian Territory reached 57.5% of which 56.1 in the West Bank and 60.5% in Gaza Strip.

Persons aged 15 years and over outside the labour force in the Palestinian Territory are distributed by reason and region as follows:

Reason

West Bank (%)

Gaza Strip (%)

Palestinian Territory (%)

Old/ill

9.8 9.7 9.8

Housewife

55.3 50.7 53.6

Studying or training

26.4 30.6 27.9

Others

8.5 9.0 8.7

Total

100

100

100


3-6 Labour Force Status: Further details

Population in the working age (15 years and above) are distributed according to the ILO standard classification of labour force framework by sex and labour force status as follows:

Region and Sex

Employed (%)

Under-Employed (%)

Unemployed (%)

Total (%)

Labour Force (%)

Outside Labour Force (%)

West Bank

Male

86.0 8.0 6.0 100 73.5 26.5

Female

88.1 2.7 9.2 100 14.1 85.9

Total

86.4 7.1 6.5 100 43.9 56.1

Gaza Strip

Male

85.3 1.6 13.1 100 67.4 32.6

Female

80.5 1.9 17.6 100 11.6 88.4

Total

84.6 1.6 13.8 100 39.5 60.5

The circumstances of the Palestinian labour market assume taking into account the detailed information concerning the activity status of population in the working age. The following table presents the relative distribution of population in the working age by activity status.

Population 15 Years and Above by region and Labor Force Status
(April-June, 2000): Percentage

Labour Force Status West Bank Gaza Strip Palestinian Territory
Both Sexes
population aged 15 years and over ( Man Power) 55.1 49.8 53.2
Full employment (working full time: 35 hours and above) 37.9 33.5 36.4
Working less than usual (lack of employment) 0.4 0.2 0.3
Working in poor conditions or for insufficient income 2.7 0.4 1.9
Did not work and seeking job 2.9 5.5 3.7
Did not work and did not seek job due to discouragement 4.8 5.4 5.0
Did not work – old or ill 5.5 5.8 5.6
Did not work – Housewife 31.0 30.7 30.9
Did not work – Students 14.8 18.5 16.2
Population less than 15 years 44.9 50.2 46.8
Total Population 100% 100% 100%
Male
Population aged 15 years and over ( Man Power) 54.8 49.5 52.8
Full employment (working full time: 35 hours and above) 63.3 57.5 61.3
Working less than usual (lack of employment) 0.9 0.3 0.6
Working in poor conditions or for insufficient income 5.0 0.8 3.6
Did not work and seeking job 4.3 8.9 5.9
Did not work and did not seek job due to discouragement 7.3 9.5 8.0
Did not work – old or ill 5.6 5.0 5.4
Did not work – Housewife 0.6 0.3 0.5
Did not work – Students 13.0 17.9 14.7
Population less than 15 years 45.2 50.5 47.2
Total Population 100% 100% 100%

The following table presents the estimated absolute number of distribution of population in the working age by activity status.

Population 15 Years and Above by region and Labor Force Status
(April-June, 2000): Absolute Numbers

Labour Force Status West Bank Gaza Strip Palestinian Territory
Both Sexes
population aged 15 years and over ( Man Power) 1,101,000 563,000 1,664,000
Full employment (working full time: 35 hours and above) 417,000 189,000 606,000
Working less than usual (lack of employment) 4,000 1,000 5,000
Working in poor conditions or for insufficient income 30,000 2,000 32,000
Did not work and seeking job 32,000 31,000 63,000
Did not work and did not seek job due to discouragement 53,000 30,000 83,000
Did not work – old or ill 61,000 33,000 94,000
Did not work – Housewife 341,000 173,000 514,000
Did not work – Students 163,000 104,000 267,000
Population less than 15 years 898,000 567,000 1,465,000
Total Population 1,999,000 1,130,000 3,129,000
Male     
Population aged 15 years and over ( Man Power) 553,000 282,000 835,000
Full employment (working full time: 35 hours and above) 350,000 162,000 512,000
Working less than usual (lack of employment) 5,000 1,000 6,000
Working in poor conditions or for insufficient income 28,000 2,000 30,000
Did not work and seeking job 24,000 25,000 49,000
Did not work and did not seek job due to discouragement 40,000 27,000 67,000
Did not work – old or ill 31,000 14,000 45,000
Did not work – Housewife 3,000 1,000 4,000
Did not work – Students 72,000 50,000 122,000
Population less than 15 years 457,000 288,000 745,000
Total Population 1,010,000 570,000 1,580,000