The Impact of Employment in Israel on the Palestinian Labor Force

Abstract

This study provides circumstantial evidence for the impact of permits for employment in Israel on the Palestinian labor force in the West Bank during the late Intifada period and its aftermath (2005-2008). The study utilizes a unique dataset that merges data from the Palestinian Labor Force Survey with Israeli administrative data on permits for employment in Israel. The study quantifies the increase in Palestinian employment in the Israeli and Palestinian economies and the decrease in Palestinian unemployment, as well as the drop in the return to schooling which coincided with an increase in the number of permits issued. These results reflect the short-run benefits for the un-skilled Palestinian labor force as well as the adverse long-run effects of Palestinian employment in Israel on human capital accumulation.

Keywords: West Bank, Palestine, Israel

JEL Classification: J00, J70, J68, J15, J61, J62