The Central Bureau of Statistics said Tuesday that the average salary in the economy edged up by 1.6% in June of this year. The average salary for the month was NIS 8,469, compared to NIS 8,334 in May. The average salary for the first half of 2010 was 1.4% higher than the average salary in the second half of 2009, with the highest salary rise among managers working in government organizations, who saw their salaries rise 3.8%.

Overall, there were 1.9% more jobs in the economy in the first half of 2010 than in the second half of 2009. The finance, banking, and insurance sectors supplied many of those new positions; there were 2.9% more jobs in those industries during the period, compared to the previous six months, the CBS said.