Degree but no job: The battle against unemployment in Gaza

Nuseirat, Gaza Strip – Rawan al-Jabali is sitting, staring at her laptop screen, silently following a link to a job advertisement posted online. The internet is weak in the camp for displaced people she has come to work at in central Gaza, so she’s forced to refresh the page.

Opportunities are rare for graduates like her in Gaza. She finished a degree in English language and literature, with a focus on translation, two years ago at the Islamic University of Gaza. But since then, it has been two years of fruitless job searching, all while she lives through Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian enclave, forcing her to move with her family from northern Gaza to Nuseirat.

“I studied translation because I believed I would have opportunities in this field, but after the war most of the institutions where I could work disappeared,” al-Jabali told Al Jazeera.

Rawan is one of the ۸۰ percent of Palestinians in Gaza without a job, according to data from the Government Media Office. Joblessness, driven by the war and a pre-existing poor economic climate in Gaza, has contributed to a poverty rate in Gaza that now exceeds ۹۳ percent.

It is why – despite the exhaustion brought on by the electricity cuts, weak internet and difficulty moving around – al-Jabali is persevering. She has to find some way to provide for herself and her family.

Mohammed al-Khudari is in a similar boat. He’s also a graduate of the Islamic University of Gaza, but studied engineering.

What felt like the beginning of a new path on graduation day has turned into a long slog without success, as the war – with the accompanying bombing, closure of borders and famine – ground the labour market to a halt.

Al-Khudari spends most of his days browsing job advertisements on his phone.

“I spend long hours searching for available job opportunities, and I face difficulty charging my phone or even staying connected to the internet, but I continue trying,” he said.

The fruitless search has forced al-Khudari to be less discerning when it comes to the jobs he applies for. He may be an engineering graduate, but that has not stopped him from applying for jobs in different fields. He looks for work – whatever he can find.

“I started applying for jobs in different sectors such as cafes, restaurants and cleaning work, because the main goal has become securing an income that allows me to support myself and my family and build a new beginning,” al-Khudari said. “Many graduates apply for any available job because circumstances push them to seek income rather than wait for a job related to their specialisation.”

Longstanding problems

The unemployment crisis in Gaza goes hand-in-hand with the territory’s wider economic problems. Economic data shows that the enclave’s gross domestic product (GDP) has contracted more than ۸۲ percent as a result of the war, which began in October ۲۰۲۳, and in which Israel has killed more than ۷۳,۰۰۰ Palestinians.

The conflict, and in particular Israel’s blockade of Gaza, has left about ۸۰ percent of its population dependent on international humanitarian aid, amid a sharp decline in sources of income and growing hunger.

Palestinian economic expert Mohammed Abu Jeiab explained that Gaza’s labour market was already suffering from deep problems before the war, brought on by an Israeli blockade imposed since ۲۰۰۷, when the Palestinian group Hamas took control of the enclave.

Those issues have been compounded by the war.

“This deterioration has led to serious economic and social consequences, including the erosion of human capital due to prolonged unemployment and skill loss, increased reliance on humanitarian aid instead of productive work, rising poverty rates, delayed social stability and the potential for increased emigration of skilled workers whenever possible opportunities arise,” Abu Jeiab pointed out.

Abu Jeiab stressed that addressing the crisis requires a comprehensive plan starting with reconstruction as a key driver of job creation, in addition to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship, investing in technology and remote work, aligning university education with labour market needs, expanding paid training programmes for graduates, and creating a stable economic environment that encourages local and foreign investment.

But Gaza right now lacks a fully functioning government, faces frequent Israeli attacks despite an October ceasefire, and reconstruction is practically non-existent.

It all means that job opportunities are still few and far between. Still, there are community initiatives focused on helping people, and particularly the young, to find some work.

One such place is Deir el-Balah’s Peace Work Space, which aims to provide a suitable working environment for students and graduates, with more reliable electricity and internet.

Its founder, Mohammed al-Buheisi, said that he opened the space in February ۲۰۲۴ in response to an urgent need for displaced Palestinians – many have moved to central Gaza after being forcefully displaced by Israel from other areas – to find a place to work and study.

It has been difficult to operate – prices for vital equipment, like solar panels, have more than doubled – but he has still been able to increase the number of people he can welcome into the centre.

“We started with a small space that could only accommodate about ۱۰ people, and gradually expanded to about ۸۰ people today,” al-Buheisi said.

“Our goal has always been to provide a suitable environment that helps students and graduates continue their studies and work with the best available means,” he added.

Al-Buheisi explained that the space’s reliable internet and electricity are not just a boon for job seekers, but also those who have found remote work or are taking exams and need a stable internet connection.

Against a complex backdrop of declining job opportunities, economic contraction and a widening gap between education and the labour market, thousands of graduates in Palestine find themselves in a prolonged transitional phase without a clear professional path. Between searching for jobs, accepting work outside their specialisation, or seeking alternatives through remote work and local initiatives, a new labour reality is emerging.

“Investing in technical skills is the most sustainable way to create jobs,” al-Buheisi said. “So it is essential to focus on training and empowering young people to achieve income online instead of relying solely on limited local opportunities.”