Data from the Ministry of Labor reveal that 63.5% of the ultra-Orthodox are in the employment circle • "Work without giving up their identity"
An ultra-Orthodox employment fair in Safed
Photo:
Ancho Gush, Ginny
In 2020, there was a 1% increase in the employment rate of women and men from the ultra-Orthodox sector, a figure that completes an increase of more than 3% from 2016 to 2020. This is according to official data from the Ministry of Labor and Welfare obtained by Israel Today.
According to the data, in 2016 the share of employed persons in the ultra-Orthodox public in the Israeli economy was only 60.2%, in 2017 there was a slight decrease to 59.7% and since then there has been a consistent upward trend until 2020 with an all-time record with 63.5% in the employment sector.
It should be noted that the employment data in the ultra-Orthodox sector are usually separated between women - who work at very high rates, and men - whose rate of employment is only at a moderate increase.
The proportion of working ultra-Orthodox women is constantly rising, reaching a peak in 2017 of 76% of working women.
The proportion of men has increased over the years and reached a peak in 2016 when it crossed the 50% threshold for working ultra-Orthodox men.
"Employers and workers understand that the entry of ultra-Orthodox people into the workplace is a welcome phenomenon that goes hand in hand with their ultra-Orthodox identity," says MK Moshe Arbel of Shas, who has been dealing with the working ultra-Orthodox community for many years.
"The ultra-Orthodox who work want to integrate into the labor market without giving up their unique identity as ultra-Orthodox in the State of Israel. In the Shas party, we have a vision to allow every ultra-Orthodox who worked for a living to remain ultra-Orthodox and part of the ultra-Orthodox community without having to give up his identity."
MK Moshe Arbel added that "going to work does not indicate a desire to abandon or reduce the ultra-Orthodox identity, but a perception that sees a match between the unique ultra-Orthodox identity and a workplace that respects this identity and allows the ultra-Orthodox to integrate and contribute."