Employment By The Government in Palestine before Nakba. British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Supplement - Page 89

EMPLOYMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT.

(p. 733) (§ 5}

The Government of Palestine is the largest single employer in the country, followed closely by the Military Authorities. Government and the Military Authorities employ together something in the region of 80,000 persons.

The following table, showing the position in December, 1945, the last date for which detailed figures are available, sets out the main categories of persons employed by Government and their aggregate earnings :-

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT –GENERAL SUMMARY SHOWING THE NUMBER OF PERSONS EMPLOYED AND THEIR EARNINGS in DECEMBER, 1945, BY COMMUNITY.

Type of employee

I All Communities Arabs Jews British. Other

Administrative,
clerical and
technical I!l,O& 446,9H 13,036 266,251 f,575 108,917 800(a) 57,429 644 14,318
% of total (100) (100) {68.SJ (59.6) (29.9) (2M) (4.4) (12.9) Hl.4) (S.2)
Police Force,
other ranks {c) 14,109 256,418 6,704 120,981 S,921 68,601 3,(84 66,831 Jbi (b)
% of total 000) (100) (47.5) ("-7.2) (27.8) (26.7) (24.7) (:J:6.1)
Casual labour 11,494 93,961 10,438 78,325 780 12,174 - 276 8,4.62
% of total (100) (100) (90.8) (83.41 {6.8) (12.il) (2.4) (8.7)
Total ****** 797.289 I'°"" .66 *** 71.,,7.1, *..* 921~ 124.260_1 920 17,780
% of total {100) (100) (67.5) (58.4) (20.7) (23.8) (9.7) (H:i.6) (2.1) (2.2) (a) A number of constables employed in the Prisons are included here.
(b) Not distinguishable ,

(c) Includes 2,488 Temporary Additional and Supernumerary Police with monthly earnings amounting to LP. 40,357 employed by H.M. Forces and/or private bodies.

Arab employees constituted 67.5 per cent. of all employees and received 58.4 per cent. of total emoluments. Jews comprised 20.7 per cent. of total, but received 23.8 per cent. of emoluments. British personnel comprised 9. 7 per cent. of total and received 15.6 per cent. of total emoluments.

The apparent comparatively low percentage of Jewish officers and Jewish emoluments is somewhat misleading in view of the fact that Government subsidizes Jewish education and health services. Had Government expended sums thus contributed to Jewish education and health directly, the number of Jewish Government personnel as well as the salaries would have been higher than appears in the summary table.

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