An economic survey released Sunday by the Finance Ministry’s chief economist revealed that the rise in the employment of chareidi men, which began 15 years ago, was halted in the past year and a half.
The Chief Economist’s Unit, headed by Dr. Yoel Naveh, publishes a weekly survey on the issue of employment of chareidi men over the past decade and a half, with various explanations for cities and different age groups.
The data clearly shows that the particular increase in the employment rate of ultra-Orthodox men in recent years is between the ages of 25-34 and in the 35-44 age group. However, in the first age group, the employment rate is still particularly low.
According to this comprehensive examination, one possible explanation for the relatively low success as compared to chareidi women integrating into the labor market can be found in the “preferences, various benefits, and low value” of their work, even among non-chareidi Jewish men.
While in Bnei Brak the percentage of chareidi men who worked in the past decade was only 39 percent, in Elad and in Betar Illit – where there are also populations where “matriculation” is not necessarily perceived as problematic and their voting for chareidi parties is less sweeping – the employment rate is steadily rising, 56 and 58 percent, respectively.
These gaps may be due to the proximity of cities to employment centers, employment areas, real estate prices and the quality of the placement programs.
“The increase in the employment of chareidi men since the beginning of the 2000s has been halted in the last two years and is now 12 percentage points higher than the government target for 2020 (63%). AT the current rate of employment for chareidi men will be achieved only in 2030. A possible reason for success is the relatively low proportion of chareidi men in the labor market is their different preferences system and the low value of their work – in light of their welfare – a fact that reinforces the importance of increasing incentives for going to work.
“Higher quality integration of chareidim in the labor market can also help the chareidi community and the economy as a whole,” says the chief economist.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
But since many Chareidim work off the books (evidenced by the fact that the Chareidi standard of living vastly exceeds what would be possible based on what the Israeli government figures say their sources of income are), the figures are meaningless.
Akuperma, in other words working off the books= stealing.
I now anxiously await those telling me that it is permitted to steal from the government and still be an observant Jew