Gaza graduates search for work as unemployment reaches 80%
The Government Media Office says joblessness in Gaza has hit 80%, leaving many graduates seeking any paid work as poverty rises.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
University graduates in Gaza are struggling to find paid work as the war and a long-running economic crisis have stripped away many of the jobs they trained for. The Government Media Office says 80 percent of Palestinians in Gaza are unemployed, while poverty has climbed above 93 percent.
Al Jazeera reported from Nuseirat that Rawan al-Jabali, a graduate in English language and literature from the Islamic University of Gaza, has spent two years looking for work. Al-Jabali, who focused on translation, has been displaced with her family from northern Gaza to Nuseirat and now searches online job postings despite weak internet service, power cuts and difficulty moving around.
Al-Jabali told Al Jazeera that she chose translation because she expected it to offer work, but said many of the institutions where she might have applied no longer exist after the war. Her search has become part of a broader effort to support herself and her family, according to Al Jazeera.
Mohammed al-Khudari, another Islamic University of Gaza graduate, told Al Jazeera he faces similar conditions after studying engineering. He spends much of his time checking job advertisements on his phone, even as charging the device and staying connected to the internet remain difficult.
Al-Khudari said he has widened his search beyond engineering and applied for jobs in cafes, restaurants and cleaning. He told Al Jazeera that many graduates now look for any income rather than waiting for work tied to their degrees.
War deepens an older jobs crisis
Al Jazeera reported that Gaza’s economic output has fallen by more than 82 percent since the war began in October 2023. Israel has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in the conflict, according to the report, and the closure of borders, bombing and hunger have pushed the labour market close to a standstill.
About 80 percent of Gaza’s population depends on international humanitarian aid, according to Al Jazeera. Palestinian economic expert Mohammed Abu Jeiab told the outlet that Gaza’s labour market was already under severe strain before the war because of the Israeli blockade imposed in 2007, after Hamas took control of the enclave.
Abu Jeiab said prolonged unemployment is eroding skills, increasing dependence on aid, worsening poverty and delaying social stability. He also warned that skilled workers could leave Gaza if opportunities to emigrate become available.
Abu Jeiab told Al Jazeera that any serious response would need to start with reconstruction and include support for small businesses, technology and remote work, university programmes better matched to labour needs, paid training for graduates and conditions that can attract investment. Al Jazeera reported that Gaza lacks a fully functioning government, faces frequent Israeli attacks despite an October ceasefire, and has seen little reconstruction.
Some local efforts are trying to fill part of the gap. In Deir el-Balah, Mohammed al-Buheisi founded Peace Work Space in February 2024 to give students and graduates a place with more dependable electricity and internet, according to Al Jazeera.
Al-Buheisi told Al Jazeera that the space began with room for about 10 people and has expanded to about 80, despite the cost of key equipment such as solar panels more than doubling. The centre serves job seekers, remote workers and students who need a stable connection for exams.
Al-Buheisi said training young people in technical skills offers one of the more durable ways to create income online while local jobs remain scarce. For graduates such as al-Jabali and al-Khudari, Al Jazeera reported, the search now runs across any available work, whether or not it matches their studies.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.