Posted on 06/26/22
| News Source: i24
Israel employs nearly 100,000 workers from the West Bank and Gaza
Israel's cabinet approved issuing 3,500 additional permits for Palestinian workers in its manufacturing and services sectors, increasing the number to 12,000 to help relieve a shortage of skilled staff, the Israeli Economy Ministry said on Sunday.
Workers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip require permits to cross checkpoints and enter Israel, where wages are higher.
Israel employs nearly 100,000 West Bank and Gazan workers, according to the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority. However, most work in construction or agriculture, with only a comparatively small number given permits for jobs in factories or the services sector.
The jobless rate in Israel is roughly three percent, and the Economy Ministry said the existence of 14,000 vacancies in manufacturing was creating a barrier to economic growth.
Economy Minister Orna Barbivai said in a statement that in addition to the extra work permits for Palestinians, the ministry plans to work to increase manufacturing productivity through automation and digitalization.
Ron Tomer, head of Israel's Manufacturers' Association, called the decision to boost the numbers of Palestinians allowed to work in Israel a "lifeline" for the industrial sector, given severe shortages of workers.