Labor Sector Strategy (2021-2023) The road to decent work and employment opportunities improvement.

The Labor Sector Strategy 2021–2023 is a sectoral framework that revises and builds on the 2017–2022 strategy. It places greater emphasis on aligning labor market outcomes with demand, particularly through strengthening vocational and technical education, broadening opportunities for young people, and supporting the empowerment of vulnerable and marginalized groups. The Strategy is guided by a citizen-centered approach to service delivery, aiming to enhance resilience and enable individuals to live and work with dignity. Developed to reflect the key priorities of the labor sector, the strategy focuses on the following 3 main pillars (1) employment remains the central priority, with an emphasis on expanding job opportunities and improving labor services. This requires positioning employment at the core of national development planning; (2) the Strategy addresses the persistent mismatch between higher education outputs and labor market needs, reflected in high graduate unemployment rates. It calls for a strategic shift toward vocational and technical training, alongside the development of a national model for vocational education that expands access through new training centers and strengthens programmatic, occupational, and curricular offerings; (3) it prioritizes the strengthening of labor market governance to promote decent work standards, in line with the national decent employment framework. This includes reinforcing labor inspection systems, occupational health and safety, improving industrial relations and collective bargaining, ensuring compliance with minimum wage legislation - particularly in sectors with high female employment - protecting informal workers, addressing gender-based disparities in the labor market, and safeguarding maternity rights. Finally, the Strategy highlights the importance of protecting and regulating the rights of Palestinian workers inside the Green Line. Together, these pillars form the basis of the 2021–2023 labor sector strategy, through which the Ministry and its partners aim to shift from fragmented interventions toward comprehensive and sustainable solutions.
The new Strategy defines five strategic goals and their corresponding outcomes for the 2021–2023 period (1) Develop Employment Opportunities and Services by expanding self-employment and job creation initiatives, strengthening engagement with the private sector, and improving job matching mechanisms. It supports temporary employment schemes and crisis-response interventions, provides financial assistance to small and micro enterprises affected by economic shocks, promotes cooperatives and cluster development, enhances vocational guidance and labor market information systems, and strengthens governance through improved monitoring, inspection, and data systems; (2) Rehabilitate and Prepare a Professionally Skilled Labour Force Aligned with Labour Market Needs by expanding the vocational education and training system through increased institutional capacity and graduate output across public and private providers. It also enhances the relevance of training by aligning programs with labor market demand, improving employer satisfaction, strengthening practical training components such as internships, and increasing graduates’ employability in their respective fields; (3) Reinforce the Application of Decent Work Principles in Palestine by strengthening labor governance through effective enforcement of labor legislation, improved workplace safety standards, minimum wage compliance, and robust inspection and grievance mechanisms, while ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups, including children and juveniles. It also strengthens labor institutions, trade unions, and social dialogue, and promotes awareness-raising and capacity-building for workers and employers. In addition, it advances collective bargaining and resilient labor relations, including crisis preparedness measures such as those introduced during COVID-19; (4) Reinforce and Institutionalize Social Protection for Workers by building national consensus on the social security law through sustained stakeholder consultation, systematic documentation of feedback, and iterative revision of legal drafts. It also enhances public awareness of social security through targeted outreach and communication, and supports the establishment of a dedicated private fund to manage and invest workers’ retirement contributions from beyond the Green Line within a clear legal and institutional framework; (5) Build the Capacities of Trilateral Partnership Organizations by strengthening labor institutions through updated legal and institutional frameworks, improved coordination, and enhanced operational effectiveness. It modernizes labor, union, and wage policies while reinforcing socio-economic dialogue structures. It also improves service delivery through capacity-building initiatives and promotes national, regional, and international cooperation. Furthermore, it supports flexible work arrangements, expands collective agreements, and strengthens social dialogue to address evolving labor market challenges, including those arising from crises such as COVID-19.
The MoL is leading the Palestinian labor sector to organize the labor market, deliver distinct services for both ends of production, contribute to the rehabilitation of the labor force of both sexes, provide employment and social security to ensure decent work conditions and circumstances, and contribute to a professional and transparent social, economic, and environmental development in line with existing labor legislations in harmony with international standards and practices under the trilateral partnership framework.