An inter-ministerial committee set up to discuss poverty in Israel has unveiled its goal and a plan of action. Committee members hope to increase employment by more than 9 percent in the next decade and to increase the monthly income of Israel's lowest earners by 1,000 shekels ($264) a month.
The first steps in the committee's plan of action are as follows:
- Appoint a Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor manager responsible for overseeing Labor and Human Resources;
- Set employment goals for the manager of Labor and Human Resources, and for Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor staff in general;
- Implement the negative income tax program, which has been tested in select cities in recent years, throughout the country;
- Reduce the number of non-Israeli workers in Israel's workforce; and
- Expand the Orot L'Taasuka program, which includes the controversial Me'halev (Wisconsin) “welfare to work” program.
The committee also set specific goals for increasing employment among various sectors of the population. Over the course of the next decade, the government aims to increase employment among those age 25 to 64 from its current level of 69.9 percent to 76.5 percent.
Employment among those ages 20 to 24 will be increased to 60 percent from 44.7 percent, committee members said.
Levels of employment in Israel are currently lower than those in many Western countries, in part due to unusually high rates of voluntary unemployment. Implementing the increases suggested by the committee will mean creating 30,000 jobs for Israelis each year beyond usual market growth.
The committee hopes to increase employment in the Arab sector and the hareidi-religious sector in particular. Employment initiatives will also focus on the disabled and immigrants.