Initiative to help Palestinian youth get jobs
A new campaign by Silatech, a regional social initiative that works to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for young Arabs, along with Nabbesh, Middle East's virtual skills marketplace, aims to connect talented individuals in Palestine with flexible and virtual work opportunities across the region.
The campaign called Fursati, meaning 'my opportunity', aims to encourage businesses based mainly in the Gulf region to leverage the education and expertise of Palestinian talent to get work done remotely. To the Palestinians, Fursati will become a means for them to access quality jobs and earn a guaranteed income.
Palestinian youth are highly educated, motivated, and eager to work yet their job prospects are severely limited, with youth unemployment reaching close to 50 per cent.
Remote work is one of the few available options, particularly in the areas of jobs that are in high demand such as design, writing and translation, web development, admin and data entry. This programme is designed to help qualified freelancers apply for and land jobs in companies internationally.
According to International Labour Organisation (ILO), “a stalled peace process, high tensions and the effects of last year’s war in Gaza have led to further economic and labour market decline with serious consequences for the Palestinian economy.”
As per ILO figure, the total number of unemployed Palestinians soared by more than 25 per cent in 2014 compared to the previous year to reach 338,300. This resulted in an average unemployment rate of 27 per cent throughout the occupied Arab territories. The corresponding rate for Gaza was more than double that of the West Bank.
“Young jobseekers face an even more serious challenge as the youth unemployment rate reached almost 40 per cent for young men and 63 per cent for young women in 2014. More than 70 per cent of Palestinians are under 30 years of age and they are facing very serious difficulties in finding a job after completing their education,” it said.