Netanyahu Was Right to Warn, as Youth Labor Shortages Become a Security Risk

The column argues that the refusal of young people to take many low-status jobs is not unique to Israel, but in Israel it can become a serious security problem. The writer says Benjamin Netanyahu was unusually correct to spot the danger, after a plan to recruit released soldiers for bus driving was discussed, though the author questions whether enough young people will choose to become drivers and whether 22-year-old drivers with little road experience should be trusted with vehicles carrying dozens of passengers.

The article says young people are increasingly avoiding jobs that once relied on students and youth, including security, waitressing, cleaning, and other similar work. In restaurants, employers are said to be desperate for staff and now offer wages that would once have seemed unimaginable. The writer says this is not only an Israeli problem, but a broader phenomenon in developed countries, driven by generous unemployment benefits, student grants, rent controls, soaring housing prices that keep young adults living with their parents, and, in some views, a generational revolt against parents who sacrificed personal life for career.

The author then turns to his own experience, describing a middle-class childhood in Haifa, with an independent father who was a metalworker and a mother who ran a private kindergarten. He recalls being required to work during school breaks to earn money for trips and hobbies, working every July from ninth grade until army enlistment, then spending nearly eight months working in construction and clothing packing in Australia, and later using his military experience to qualify for security work that helped him pay for university and, eventually, a modest apartment.

From there, the column argues that developed countries filled labor gaps with migrant workers, who came to Europe from former colonies and Eastern Europe, to the United States mainly from Mexico and Central and South America, and to Australia from China. While most migrants are described as hardworking and seeking better lives, the writer says their children often become a problem, especially when they do not integrate and keep ethnic or religious identities separate. In Israel, he argues, illegal migrant labor cannot be tolerated for long because of the country’s unique security needs. He says many second-generation migrants and refugees are already sliding into crime and violence, and if not handled properly, some could eventually become a matter for the Shin Bet, turning a present difficulty into a major disaster.