Hiring hareidi employees may require some flexibility, but is definitely worthwhile, Minister of Economy Naftali Bennett said Sunday.
Bennett shared a story on Facebook about an “interesting conversation” he had with a secular CEO to illustrate why business owners should not fear hiring hareidi men.
The CEO, whom Bennett referred to as “Yair,” told the minister that the (hareidi) employees were "brilliant due to their study of Gemara (Talmud)… They think quickly and have an excellent work ethic."
"You have to accommodate them for times of prayer during the day and Jewish holidays, but this is negligible compared to what they bring to the workplace. They do not linger in the hallways to chat; they work," Yair said.
“The turnover is very low compared to other Israeli workers,” he noted.
The CEO, who runs a successful software company, told Bennett that he currently employs roughly 40 hareidi workers. “They came to me without formal education, and flourished here. One of them started with a salary of 7,000 shekels a month, and today he’s a technology administrator earning 40,000 a month,” he related.
“I don’t need any incentives to hire hareidi workers,” he concluded. “Just teach as many of them as you can to program!”
Bennett posted the story to his page, and added, “Employers, listen to him.”
The Ministry of Economy is campaigning to encourage employers to hire employees from minority sectors that often face employment discrimination, including the hareidi and Arab sectors.