Haredi Men's Employment Rate Hits Record High, Challenging Yeshiva System
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
The employment rate for Haredi men in Israel reached a record 57% in Q3, a significant increase that challenges the traditional path of yeshiva study. This rise, observed over two consecutive quarters, suggests a growing trend despite methodological changes in data collection. Concurrently, Haredi enlistment into the IDF has surged by 53% in the 2025 recruitment year, nearing targets set by proposed draft evasion legislation, despite rabbinical prohibitions.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Haredi men's employment rate hit a record 57% in Q3, a significant increase from earlier in the year.
- The current employment rate for Haredi men is 57%, surpassing the previous record of 56.7% from Q3 2023.
- Haredi male employment has risen from 37% in 2003 to 57% in the latest quarter.
- Haredi enlistment into the IDF increased by 53% to 4,298 in the 2025 recruitment year.
- The surge in employment and IDF enlistment challenges Haredi leadership's efforts to keep men in yeshivas.
The employment rate for Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men in Israel reached a multi-decade high of 57% in the third quarter of this year, according to recent data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). This represents a three-percentage-point increase since the beginning of the year, surpassing the previous record of 56.7% set in the third quarter of 2023. For comparison, the employment rate for non-Haredi Jewish men stood at 86.2% in the same quarter. The Haredi men's employment rate has seen significant growth, rising from 37% in 2003 to 52% in 2016, and has shown a steady upward trend for the past two quarters, suggesting a sustained pattern rather than a temporary fluctuation. However, the CBS notes that data from 2025 onwards is based on 2022 census estimates and a new survey definition, which may have increased the reported employment rate by 1-1.6 percentage points, necessitating caution when comparing with older data. Despite this methodological shift, the recent increases reinforce the assessment of an upward employment trend.
This surge in Haredi male employment poses a significant challenge to the efforts of Haredi rabbis and parties aiming to keep young men in yeshivas. Economic pressures and sanctions on draft dodgers appear to be influencing individuals to enter the workforce. In a related development, Brigadier General Shai Tayeb, head of the Manpower Planning and Administration Division, reported in August a 53% increase in Haredi enlistment into the IDF, from 2,811 in the 2024 recruitment year to 4,298 in the 2025 recruitment year. This rise contrasts sharply with the prohibition on enlistment imposed by most Haredi rabbis until the passage of a draft evasion law. The number of Haredi men recruited in 2025 is approaching the target of 4,800 annually set by the original draft evasion bill that the coalition attempted to pass.
