Degree but no job: The battle against unemployment in Gaza
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- Rawan al-Jabali, a translation and English literature graduate from the Islamic University of Gaza, has spent two years fruitlessly searching for work, telling Al Jazeera that most institutions where she could have worked 'disappeared' after the war.
- Mohammed al-Khudari, an engineering graduate from the same university, now applies for jobs in cafes, restaurants, and cleaning because 'circumstances push them to seek income rather than wait for a job related to their specialisation.'
- Gaza's unemployment rate stands at 80 percent per the Government Media Office, with poverty exceeding 93 percent and GDP contracting more than 82 percent since October 2023, when the war began.
- Economic expert Mohammed Abu Jeiab said the collapse compounded a pre-existing crisis rooted in Israel's blockade since 2007, warning of 'erosion of human capital due to prolonged unemployment and skill loss' and potential emigration of skilled workers.
- Mohammed al-Buheisi's Peace Work Space in Deir el-Balah, founded in February 2024, expanded from 10 to 80 people by providing reliable internet and electricity, though solar panel prices have more than doubled.
- About 80 percent of Gaza's population now depends on international humanitarian aid, with more than 73,000 Palestinians killed and reconstruction described as 'practically non-existent' despite an October ceasefire.
Why it matters: An entire generation of Gaza's educated workforce faces permanent deskilling: 80% joblessness and 93% poverty force graduates into unrelated manual labor, while Abu Jeiab warns of 'erosion of human capital' and potential emigration of skilled workers. Without reconstruction, this brain drain becomes permanent, stripping the enclave of its professional class.
