Israel Sees Continued Rise in Job Vacancies to 148,000 in July

Israel's job vacancies increased by 1.5% from 146,800 in June to 148,000 in July, continuing an upward trend following Operation Guardian of the Walls. In June, vacancies rose by 5.1%, after hitting a relative low of 125,000 in March during the peak of the conflict. These figures come from the July job vacancies survey published by the Central Bureau of Statistics. The vacancy rate rose slightly from 4.41% to 4.45% of all jobs in the economy.

The all-time high for job vacancies was recorded in December 2022 at 153,200, surpassing the post-COVID peak of approximately 151,000 in August and September 2022. The high vacancy numbers during the pandemic were attributed to mismatches between workers' locations and available jobs. Currently, the rise is likely due to extensive reserve military service affecting young people and their partners, as well as significant emigration of young populations.

The persistent increase in vacancies highlights ongoing difficulties filling low-wage jobs that do not require academic training and restrictions on labor entry from the Palestinian Authority. Notably, there are over 14,000 vacancies for waiters, bartenders, and cooks; about 8,700 in construction; 5,400 driver positions (a 10% rise in two months); and 7,100 kitchen and cleaning staff roles in institutions.