Palestinian Youth Suffer High Unemployment, Frustration
A new report by the Sharek Youth Forum highlights the challenges faced by Palestinian youth, including high unemployment, obesity and frustration in the political process, writes Hazem Balousha.
Palestinian youth constitute about one-third of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Jerusalem. They are the foundation for developing Palestinian society amid rising unemployment, growing debt and eroding trust in Palestinian political parties.
A report on the state of Palestinian youth in 2013 by the Sharek Youth Forum, the largest Palestinian civil youth institution, reports that of the 40% of Palestinians who live in poverty, a quarter are young people. Roughly 44% of young people are unemployed, even though just over half of them hold university degrees.
The report blames the high unemployment on the weak Palestinian economy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, disparities between male and female employment rates, a lack of productive opportunities in the Palestinian market, the gap between education and the labor market and the absence of a comprehensive Palestinian policy on youth employment.
The report, titled “The Future is Knocking at the Door,” summarizes the opinions of young Palestinians about their economic situation through research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
