Israel’s Employment Service says a special report on repeated job losses during emergencies shows that many workers have been pushed out of the labor market again and again during the past six years, especially since the war began in October 2023. The agency says these are often the same people, not just similar groups, and that the repeated disruption is eroding income, savings, pension rights and, likely, living standards.
The report finds that 71% of women who left work during Operation "Rising Lion" had already been hurt in at least one other emergency in recent years. Half of those women had been displaced at least three previous times, and more than a third had been displaced four times. Among personal caregivers who lost their jobs in that operation, 78% had also been affected in at least one earlier emergency, while 75% of sales workers were also hit again.
The agency also points to workers under 34, who are concentrated in jobs that require being away from home and dealing directly with the public, such as restaurants, retail and services. Parents of children under 18, especially mothers, are also vulnerable, along with Haredim, particularly Haredi women, who are common in care and education jobs. Working from home reduces the risk, but the protection weakens for parents of young children when schools close and childcare falls mainly on mothers.
In response, the Employment Service urges replacing broad unpaid leave arrangements with more flexible models. It proposes partial furlough, which would let employees keep working part time while receiving state income support, and a joint furlough model for couples so parents can split leave days. The agency says the current system protects only one parent when schools close, usually the woman, and does not guarantee pay. Employment Service director general Adv. Inbal Mashash said, "The repeated findings show there is no more room to wait for the next crisis."
