Gaza Graduates: Certificates on Hold and a Grueling Search for Work

A report from Gaza highlights the severe unemployment crisis among graduates, with unemployment reaching 78% in 2025 and GDP contracting by 83% in 2024. Activists and experts demand urgent employment programs, and the report features the story of a graduate working as a delivery driver earning no more than 30 shekels.

After years of war that devastated the economy and infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, thousands of young people and graduates face severe unemployment and a lack of job opportunities. According to the latest World Bank data, unemployment in the Strip reached 78% during 2025, an almost unprecedented rate, while real GDP contracted by about 83% during 2024. The report notes that a university degree is no longer sufficient to secure a job in a paralyzed economy. Activists in labor issues and economic experts call for launching temporary and urgent employment programs that provide a monthly income, alongside economic recovery programs. Dr. Salama Abu Zaytoun, an activist in labor issues and workers' rights, says that damage to economic facilities, the halt of large sectors of the labor market, and the difficulty of movement for individuals and goods have all contributed to narrowing the space for youth employment. Economic expert Dr. Maher al-Tabbaa emphasizes that addressing the problem requires broad programs to support youth and graduates, especially given the collapse of the private sector's ability to provide job opportunities. Total recovery and reconstruction needs in Gaza are estimated at about $71.5 billion. The report presents the story of Moataz al-Khalidi, a university graduate who married about a month ago and is expecting his first child, and currently works as a food distributor with a wage that sometimes does not exceed 30 shekels, stressing that obtaining a stable job has become a fundamental dream, not a luxury.