OECD Praises Israel for Improving Employment Rates among Arabs

According to a recent report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Israel not only weathered the global recession of 2008 better than many other nations, it actually managed to begin the process of addressing ethnic inequality during the same period. The report also identifies lingering shortcomings and suggests ways to better integrate Israeli-Arabs into the workforce.

According to a recent report by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Israel not only weathered the global recession of 2008 better than many other nations, it actually managed to begin the process of addressing ethnic inequality during the same period. The report also identifies lingering shortcomings and suggests ways to better integrate Israeli-Arabs into the workforce.

The report, which was released last week, was produced in cooperation with two agencies.  They are the deputy-director for employment at the Economy Ministry and the Economic Development Authority for the Minority Sector in the Prime Minister’s Office. According to the report, Israel managed to sustain relatively low rates of unemployment throughout the economic crisis and even improved the integration of Arabs into economy. However, it notes a number of improvements that can still be made to both the Arab and ultra-Orthodox sectors of the population.

While the general rate of participation for Israel is about 66 percent, the rate of participation among Arabs was just 52 percent. According to the report, Arab populations suffer from a lack of skills, and this accounts, in large part, for their underperformance in the unemployment figures. The OECD urged the Israeli government to invest more in professional training and career guidance.

In a discussion with the Jerusalem Post, unemployment infrastructure coordinator for the Arab sector at the Israeli Economy Ministry, Ella Eyal Bar-David said, “The Economy Ministry has been leading an employment revolution in recent years that encourages the integration of the Arab sector in high-quality employment in the labor market.

She added, “There are already clear results, particularly regarding the employment of women and academics. The Economy Ministry has initiated a number of projects aimed at increasing employment, including establishing the Rayan employment centers in Arab communities, encouraging employers to integrate Arabs in hi-tech [and] building day care centers.”  She went on to say that, “we are delighted to see that the OECD recognizes and appreciates the government efforts and notes how the Economy Ministry has been working hard to promote employment in Arab society.”

The Israeli Economy Ministry has established 21 employment centers for the Arab sector in recent years, which provide employment guidance and consultation services. These services include training and help with completing high school and higher education.

Unfortunately, Bar-David identified lack of public transportation to areas on the periphery of population centers (where Arab populations tend to be most concentrated) as a major obstacle to both the use of these services and further reductions in unemployment.

She also noted that there is a cultural preference among women in the Arab sector “to work in the community as part of the extended family.” She also noted that her division has been tasked with trying to “integrate minorities in high-wage jobs and career advancement.”

In researching its report, the OECD looked at Israeli employment centers in the Arab and Bedouin sectors. Other OECD recommendations included strengthening the connection between the Arab education system and the labor market, greater government cooperation with local leadership, encouraging entrepreneurship and investment incentives, more research into the results of those that found employment, better training in English language skills, and seeking to reduce employment gaps between the Arab and Jewish sectors. The OECD also emphasized the importance of job quality over quantity.