In Palestine, the labour market is characterised by high levels of unemployment, especially among women and youth. Unemployed Palestinians, most of whom are educated, struggle to find jobs due to a disequilibrium between the demand and supply of labour, where supply far exceeds demand, hindering the market’s ability to absorb otherwise qualified labour. 

Additionally, there is a mismatch in the demand and supply of skills, specifically in relation to technical, learning, innovation, interpersonal, and digital literacy skills, which the market deems as lacking.

EDGE aims to create new income opportunities for unemployed Palestinians through a two-pronged approach: developing Palestinian entrepreneurial capacity and advancing freelancing agencies to unlock the sector’s full economic potential and increase employment among qualified women and youth.

LI will collaborate with preselected incubators to train 500 young Palestinians on essential entrepreneurial skills to utilise their expertise  in startup creation and digital freelancing. 

Through new business linkages, mentorship, and financial subgrants, LI will support these trainees in setting up scalable startups and freelancing agencies that are capable of  expanding revenues, improving and maintaining profits, and creating new jobs.

At the same time, LI will enable entrepreneurship support organisations to strengthen their role in developing and supporting the Palestinian entrepreneurship ecosystem.