Current estimates show it will take 4-5 years before Israel's economy fully recovers from the pandemic

Newly released government figures show that there are currently 851,051 individuals who are unemployed in Israel, of which 536,906 have been forced to take unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"We continue to see a high number of job seekers in August, at a significantly higher rate than what we observed in May-June," Israel's employment agency said in a statement. 

According to a study carried out by economists from the Finance Ministry and published in early August, it will take some four to five years before Israel's economy returns to pre-coronavirus unemployment levels, which was estimated at only five percent. Read more at i24