Average High-Tech Salaries Drop Nearly 10% in April After March Peak

The average salary in Israel's high-tech sector fell by 9.4% from a record high of 38,467 shekels in March to 34,870 shekels in April. This seasonal decline is typical, as March usually features the highest salaries due to one-time bonuses, followed by a decrease in April. Despite the drop, the April 2026 average salary was still 6.3% higher than in April 2025, when it stood at 32,796 shekels, according to data released by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

In the broader economy, the average monthly wage decreased by 0.7% from 14,374 shekels in April to 14,277 shekels in May. This continued a significant decline from the March peak of 15,937 shekels, which was artificially inflated by high-tech wages and the return of many low-wage employees from unpaid leave following Operation Breaking Dawn. These figures come from a rapid estimate of average wages for May.

Employment figures show recovery from the recent conflict, with the number of salaried jobs in Israel rising 2.3% from 4.306 million in April to 4.405 million in May, and up 0.9% compared to May 2025. In the high-tech sector, salaried positions increased by 0.7% from 396,000 in March to 398,600 in April, and were 0.9% higher than in April 2025. High-tech jobs accounted for 9.8% of all salaried positions in April, down from 10.4% in March, a change attributed to a decrease in total jobs in March due to the war rather than a drop in high-tech employment.