Israeli Parties Divided on Support for Freelancers and Worker Retraining
Translated & summarized from N12 by baba
Israeli political parties are debating how to support employed workers seeking new skills and provide a social safety net for freelancers. Parties like Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beiteinu propose expanding vocational training and contribution-based safety nets for the self-employed. Conversely, parties such as the Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism have opposed unemployment benefits for freelancers and focused retraining on the unemployed. Several parties have yet to present clear positions on these issues.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Parties like Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beiteinu support expanding vocational training for employed workers.
- Several parties propose contribution-based social safety nets for self-employed individuals.
- Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism members voted against unemployment benefits for freelancers.
- The Joint List advocates for subsidized training in Hebrew and Arabic and mandatory pensions for the self-employed.
- Many parties, including Yahadut HaTorah and Shas, have not presented clear stances on these issues.
As Israel's labor market rapidly evolves, political parties are presenting diverse approaches to supporting both employed individuals seeking new skills and self-employed workers. The core questions revolve around whether the state should fund retraining for existing employees and how to provide a social safety net for freelancers, akin to that for salaried workers.
Several parties, including Yesh Atid, Democrats, Yisrael Beiteinu, and the Joint List, advocate for expanding professional training programs to include currently employed individuals, not just the unemployed. Yesh Atid proposes short, accredited vocational courses for skill acquisition, alongside a gradual social safety net for freelancers based on contributions. Yisrael Beiteinu suggests a detailed mechanism where freelancers voluntarily contribute to a fund, matched by the state. The Democrats support extensive retraining throughout a career and expanded social benefits for freelancers, though without a fixed contribution model. The Joint List backs subsidized training in Hebrew and Arabic and mandatory pensions for the self-employed.
In contrast, the Likud party has not presented a specific plan for retraining at-risk workers, though its Ministry of Economy, under Minister Nir Barkat, has worked on upgrading existing jobs. Likud members voted against unemployment benefits for freelancers in 2025. Otzma Yehudit and the Religious Zionism parties were part of a government initiative for tech and high-return profession training, but these were aimed at the unemployed. Both parties' members also voted against unemployment benefits for the self-employed, with Minister Amichai Eliyahu specifically opposing such benefits.
Parties like Yahadut HaTorah, Shas, Ra'am, and Am Israel have not presented clear stances on subsidizing retraining for employed workers or establishing social benefits for freelancers through contributions. Shas members also voted against unemployment benefits for the self-employed. The "Meyuchadim" and "HaKalkalit" list proposes expanding retraining, particularly for integrating underrepresented groups into high-tech, but doesn't commit to universal retraining subsidies. They also suggest economic security for freelancers similar to salaried workers but lack a specific contribution mechanism.
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