Arab women working in agriculture (archives)
Photo: Danny Ben Simhon
Study: More Israeli Arab women work
National Insurance Institute survey points to significant rise in number of Arab women, haredi men who have joined labor market in recent years
The recent years have seen a significant rise in the number of employed people in the Arab sector, mainly among women, according to a study commissioned by the National Insurance Institute of Israel.
According to the study, conducted by the Research and Planning Administration of the National Insurance Institute, led by Deputy Director-General Dr. Daniel Gottlieb, the employment rate of the entire population dropped 2% in the past decade.
The study also pointed to a general growth in the number of employed women, and in the past two years – a rise in the number of ultra-Orthodox men joining the labor market.
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This period saw a 2.6% fall in the employment rate among non-haredi Jews, a 6% rise among the Arab population and a 2.3% rise among haredi Jews.
"The conventional opinion in the public discourse is that haredi men and Arab women are absent from the labor market," says National Insurance Institute Director-General Esther Dominissini. "The past few years, likely due to the high poverty rates among Arabs and haredim, have seen changes in these two groups' participation in the labor market."
Meanwhile, some 26,000 disabled elderly citizens, who receive an income supplement pension from the National Insurance Institute, will be entitled to a series of benefits and reductions worth hundreds of shekels a month from the State for different payments and the purchase of medications.
So far, these benefits have only been received by needy elderly citizens. The Knesset adopted an amendment to the law recently, granting the same citizens to disabled elderly citizens.
The benefits include reductions in property tax, HMO payments and telephone and electricity bills. In addition, they will be entitled to a heating allowance in the winter.
