Gaza’s Unemployment Hits 80% as Workers Earn Under $27 Daily

*TL;DR: Gaza’s unemployment has risen to 80%, poverty exceeds 93%, and laborers like Ibrahim Abu al‑Eish survive on under $27 a day.

The Gaza labour market has collapsed under two years of conflict. On International Workers’ Day, the Ministry of Labour reported that more than 250,000 people lost their jobs, pushing the unemployment rate to 80 percent.

Poverty now engulfs over 93 percent of the population, while more than three‑quarters face acute food insecurity. Humanitarian aid reaches 95 percent of residents, but aid restrictions limit economic activity.

Ibrahim Abu al‑Eish, a 24‑year‑old accounting graduate, clears rubble for a local contractor. He works from dawn until dusk, earning 80 shekels—about $27—per day. He says the wage “does not even cover the basic needs of my family amid these harsh conditions and soaring prices.”

Ibrahim supports nine relatives living in a displacement camp in Jabalia. The job is physically exhausting and dangerous; he has been injured multiple times, and a colleague suffered a serious roof collapse.

Other former entrepreneurs face similar desperation. Yousef al‑Rifi, who lost his family bakery, now bakes in a makeshift roadside shop for 50 shekels ($17) a day, often without enough flour to stay open.

The labour shortage and low wages reflect a broader economic stagnation. Restrictions on humanitarian organisations and the ongoing blockade hinder the revival of productive sectors. The ministry warns that without lifted restrictions and reopened crossings, recovery prospects will remain bleak.

For the majority of Gaza’s workforce, the only alternative to unemployment is hazardous, low‑pay labour that fails to meet basic needs. The situation underscores the urgency of restoring economic activity and ensuring safe, decent work.

What to watch: International pressure on the blockade and any easing of humanitarian restrictions could reshape Gaza’s labour market in the coming months.