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Services offered by the Employment Offices

Local Employment Department

Since 2000, constant Israeli assaults and repeated closures have been carried out and imposed against the Palestinian national industries resulting in considerable decrease of the number of in - Israel workers. Designing its development policy, PNA mainly regards employment as one of the basic concerns to be prioritized. Thus, PNA, from the out set, focuses on upgrading the capacity of the Palestinian economy to absorb the maximum number of workers. Yet, this has granted the local employment department special importance.

- The functions of the department and its units, spread over the governorates, are summarized as follows:

  • Professional Guidance and Awareness

    • It is to familiarize the targeted group with employment services, vocational training, and creation of small enterprises and self-employment. It is intended to explain the professional disciplines and to provide the interested with a glimpse about the possibilities to be integrated in the professional field through:

    • Circulation of brochures and pamphlets
    • Paying field visits to various establishments to introduce the employment services offered by the office and other departments of the Ministry.
    • Participating in workshops, cultural and economic activities, and public meetings especially with employers.
    • Introducing the employment services in the academic institutions (vocational training centers, schools, colleges, and universities )
    • Direct contact with employment office comers.
    • Organizing advisory lectures.

  • Active addressing of work applications

    • The department deals with the human resources in terms of their knowledge, definition of their numbers, detailed job and social data, and follows up their professional movement in the labor market. Thus, having registered the job seekers, their data are immediately inserted in the Palestinian Labor Market Information System LMIS (filling out a registration form for every job seeker).

  • Definition and Meeting of Industries Needs in terms of Competencies and Skills through:

    • Paying field visits and receiving job vacancies offers either by telephone or by person.
    • Control of industries needs in terms of competencies and skills (job vacancies offer) to be inserted in the Palestinian LMIS.


  • Matching between required qualifications and employment applications through:

    • Based on matching standards already inserted in LMIS, the local employment officer matches between job offers and job applications through LMIS, so that the appropriate job seeker can occupy the required job offer.
    • Contacting the required qualified job seekers to be guided to the suitable available job offer.
    • Following up the fulfillment of job opportunity through contacting the industry or the job seeker.

  • Assistance of small enterprises establishment through:

    • By reviewing the database of LMIS, the qualified, capable of establishing small enterprises, are recognized.
    • Providing the qualified with technical assistance.
    • Follow- up: The officer follows up all the established enterprises he has contributed in.

  • Incoming Labor Force

    • The company interested in employing incoming workers should apply for a work permit to be issued through the employment office.
    • To make sure that there is no local alternative workers listed in the records, the local employment officer reviews the job seekers' records registered in LMIS.
    • In case a local alternative worker is not available in those records, the company is notified to release a two-day long advertisement in one of the local newspapers. That is to make sure that there is no alternative local worker in the Palestinian labor market.
    • Yet, the head section of employment submits his personal written opinion to the local employment department which, in turn, follows up the issue through addressing the competent parties.

Employment Department Abroad

In spite of the available potentials of employment and the efforts exerted by PNA to create job opportunities in the Palestinian territories, the current economic and political situation results in limited job opportunities offered, and unfulfillment of the labor market needs. Thus, working abroad and in Israel, in particular, is still one of basic means to earn a livelihood. On this basis, the employment offices work on the fulfillment of job opportunities in Israel.

- In this context, the employment office in the governorates carries out the following:


  • Delivery of new work permits (for the first time).

    • The new work permits are issued through the employment office or directly by personal acquaintances. But all the work permits should directly be delivered to the concerned employment offices.

  • Renewal of work permits in Israel.

    • The work permits are automatically issued 10 days before the expiry date. This is applied to the workers whose wages are paid by the Israeli bureau of payment, and they still work for the same employer.

  • The work permits are automatically issued 10 days before the expiry date. This is applied to the workers whose wages are paid by the Israeli bureau of payment, and they still work for the same employer.


  • Services offered by the employment offices for in- Israel workers.
    • Annual vacation: Every in-Israel worker, who is given pay sheets by the Israeli bureaus of payment, has the right to annual vacation compensation. Yet, the compensation is transferred to the worker's bank account at the beginning of the coming year. However, every worker who does not receive this compensation should contact the employment section. In turn, it fills a relevant form to be delivered to the concerned Israeli bureaus through the employment office.
    • Sick leave: Every in- Israel worker, who works at least for 25 consecutive days during the three months prior to his sickness, has the right to sick leave compensation. Attached by an official sick report, a relevant form is delivered by the employment office to the Israeli bureaus of payment.
    • Layoffs and rewards: The employment office delivers the claim forms to the Israeli relevant bureaus.
    • Claims of old-age allowances: Reaching the age of retirement, every in- Israel worker who works for no less than 10 years (240 days a year) has the right to claim for old - age allowances. Relevant forms, attached with supportive documents, are filled and delivered by the employment office to the Israeli bureaus of payment.
    • Claims of disability allowances: This procedure is only applied to the workers in the construction field. The employment office fills and delivers the relevant forms, attached with medical reports, to the Israeli bureaus of payment.
    • Claims of decease compensation: In case of decease, the worker's dependents have the right to inherit the compensation. Relevant forms are filled and delivered by the employment office to the Israeli bureaus of payment.
    • Health Insurance: The worker, his family, and the dependents within the family are the beneficiaries of such insurance. The Israeli party deducts the health insurance fees and transfers them to the relevant Palestinian parties. Yet, the employment office receives a list of beneficiary workers.
    • Compensation for the days of Jewish feasts: Every worker, who has worked for 3 successive months, has the right to be compensated excluding construction workers.