Israel Restricts Private Hiring of Foreign Workers From India, Sri Lanka
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Israel's Population and Immigration Authority will stop the private hiring of foreign workers from India and Sri Lanka for construction starting January 2027. While private hiring continues from other nations, workers from India and Sri Lanka can still come via bilateral agreements. Industry representatives warn of worker shortages, but the authority denies this, citing recent arrivals and available labor pools.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel will ban private hiring of foreign construction workers from India and Sri Lanka from January 2027.
- Foreign manpower corporations criticize the decision, citing worker shortages and industry impact.
- Eldad Nitzan stated 60% of foreign construction workers currently come from India.
- Private hiring will continue from approved countries like Italy, Brazil, Hungary, Romania, Thailand, and Turkey.
- Workers from India and Sri Lanka can still enter Israel through bilateral agreements.
- The Population and Immigration Authority stated 76,000 new foreign construction workers arrived since the war began.
The Population and Immigration Authority has decided to prohibit the private hiring of foreign workers from India and Sri Lanka for the construction industry starting in January 2027. Foreign manpower corporations in the construction sector have criticized this move, arguing it will harm the industry. They claim a significant portion of current construction and renovation workers originate from India.
According to the authority, private hiring will continue from approved countries such as Italy, Brazil, Hungary, Romania, Thailand, and Turkey, subject to quotas. Workers from India and Sri Lanka will still be able to enter Israel through bilateral agreements.
Eldad Nitzan, chairman of the Foreign Manpower Corporations in the Construction Industry, stated that approximately 60% of foreign workers in construction and renovation currently come from India. He warned that the policy change could lead to worker shortages and burden the industry. Nitzan also asserted that about 95% of workers hired through the private channel were satisfactory to contractors, while many arriving via bilateral agreements were deemed unsuitable for professional construction work and later moved to other fields.
The Population and Immigration Authority responded that the list update aligns with a government decision and that private hiring for construction will persist. They emphasized that India and Sri Lanka remain sources for workers via bilateral agreements and possess available labor pools. The authority also reported that since the start of the war, around 76,000 new foreign workers have arrived in the construction sector, and approximately 90,000 foreign workers are currently in Israel, triple the number before the conflict.
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