Dov Lieber is a former Times of Israel Arab affairs correspondent.
Illustrative photo of Palestinian workers inside a smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip (Photo credit: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90)
Unemployment among Palestinian young people between the ages of 15 and 29 continues to hover around 40 percent for the fourth straight year, according to data published Thursday by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
According to the census, released by the PCBS on the eve of international youth day, the total unemployment rate for Palestinians 15 to 29 in the first quarter of 2016 was 39% — around 40% in the West Bank and 42% in Gaza Strip.
In the second quarter of 2015, according to the PCBS, the unemployment in that age group totaled 37.4%, in the second quarter of 2014 it was at 39.5%, and in the second quarter of 2013 it was 37%.
There are an estimated 4.82 million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as of mid 2016, according to the PCBS.
Young people between the ages of 15 and 29 represent 30% of the total Palestinian population.
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Among that segment, 37% are adolescents 15-19 years old and 63% are young adults 20-29 years old.
Graph showing age distribution of Palestinians in mid-2106. (Courtesy: PCBS)
Highest unemployment for education students
Unemployment is even higher among university graduates (51%) than the total average. Inflating that number is the 64% unemployment rate among graduates in education and teacher training. The lowest unemployment (25%) could be found among those in possession of law degrees.
Palestinians workers makes pancakes, that are then filled with cheese or nuts and fried at home, in preparation for Ramadan at a market in the West Bank city of Hebron, Saturday, June 28, 2014. (photo credit: AP/Majdi Mohammed)
The highest unemployment rate was among 20- to 24-year-olds, reaching 43%, compared to 39% for those aged 25-29 years old and 35% among teenagers 15-19.
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