RAMALLAH, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday that unemployment rate has slightly decreased in the West Bank but increased noticeably in the Gaza Strip.
A bureau statement issued on the eve of International Workers' Day said unemployment rate in Palestine increased to about 31 percent in 2018 from about 28 percent in 2017.
The number of jobless people increased to 426,000 in 2018, up from 377,000 in 2017, the statement added.
Specifically, the unemployment rate was about 18 percent in the West Bank in 2018, down from 19 percent in 2017, while in the Gaza Strip, the figure was about 52 percent compared with 44 percent in 2017.
The young graduates are the group suffering most from unemployment at a rate of about 58 percent, with 40 percent in the West Bank and 78 percent in the Gaza Strip respectively.
At least 1 million Palestinians are employed, mostly in the private sector, the statement noted.
In addition, the average weekly working hours for employees in Palestine was 42 hours in 2018.
The statement pointed out that nearly two thirds of employed individuals in Palestine are informal employees, while about one quarter of private sector employees receive benefits.
