OPT socio economic report (May 2011) – UNSCO supplementary report

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC REPORT – MAY 2011

Supplement: Productivity in the West Bank and Gaza in Q1/2011¹

The West Bank economy employed around 555,900 persons in Q1/2011, with a value added of US$1,082.0 million. The two most productive² sectors in the West Bank economy were services and other branches³

In Gaza, around 224,300 persons were employed in Q1/2011 and production was worth US$400.6 million. The most productive sector in Gaza was construction, with 14% of value added but only 5% of employment. Another highly productive sector was agriculture, fishing and forestry, where 10% of workers were employed and 12% of GDP was produced, followed by services and other branches, with 59% of total production and 55% of total employment.

Employment by Sector in the West Bank

Value Added by Sector in the West Bank

In the West Bank, mining, quarrying and manufacturing accounted for 14% of both GDP and employment in Q1/2011. The remaining sectors, namely construction and agriculture, fishing and forestry, actually employed a greater proportion of workers than their relative contribution to GDP. In the case of Gaza, the following sectors produced proportionately less than they employed: mining, quarrying and manufacturing; commerce, restaurants and hotels; transportation, storage and communication.

Employment by Sector in Gaza

Value Added by Sector in Gaza

Endnotes

¹ The data used in this supplement are from PCBS’s Labor Force Survey and Preliminary Estimates of Quarterly National Accounts.

² Productivity here is measured as GDP in US$ per person employed. Information on average number of hours worked per person employed in each sector in the West Bank and Gaza is not available.

³ Other branches’ are: electricity and water supply; financial intermediation; real estate, renting and business services; community, social and personal services; education; health and social work; household administration and defense; households with employed persons. This aggregation ensures that the same categories are used to present that data for value added (GDP) and employment.