Israel’s labor market has been recovering from crises faster than before, but a special Employment Service report released Sunday says the same workers are being pushed out again and again during emergencies. The report examines labor patterns across the past six years, from COVID-19 through the Gaza war, Operation "With Every Lion," and Operation "Roar of the Lion."
The service describes the pattern as a “revolving door.” Among women who left the workforce during "Roar of the Lion," 71.3% had also been displaced in at least one other emergency over the past six years. Half were hurt in at least three emergencies, and more than a third in four or more. Young adults up to age 34 and ultra-Orthodox Jews were also identified as especially vulnerable.
Certain jobs were hit harder than others. In "Roar of the Lion," 78% of personal care workers who registered as job seekers had also been affected in at least one previous emergency, and the figure was 75% for sales workers. The report says jobs that require physical contact, public-facing work, outdoor activity, or crowd exposure are more vulnerable, while work that can be done remotely acts like a “vaccine” against employment damage. Comparing COVID-19 with "Roar of the Lion," the more a profession allows hybrid or remote work, the lower the risk of workers being forced out during a crisis.
The report also says the Israeli labor market is recovering more quickly after each crisis. After COVID-19, it took about two years to return to pre-crisis unemployment claims levels. After the Gaza war, recovery took about a year. After Operation "With Every Lion," it took about four months, and recovery after "Roar of the Lion" was the fastest yet. In March 2026, the main fighting period, jobseekers jumped 154% from 155.4 thousand in February to 395.6 thousand. After Home Front Command restrictions were lifted, the number fell rapidly, reaching about 180 thousand by the end of May, a 54% drop from the peak.
The Employment Service is urging a rethink of the unemployment compensation system, saying current unpaid leave arrangements encourage mass exits from work and do not adequately address cumulative harm to vulnerable groups. It proposes flexible unpaid leave that allows part-time work and income supplementation, splitting leave days between spouses, and expanding remote work as a tool for retaining employees during emergencies. Employment Service Director General Inbal Meshash said the findings expose a troubling revolving-door phenomenon that costs workers social rights, job security, and pension savings, and argued that Israel should act now rather than wait for the next crisis.
