The Employment Service announced on Sunday morning that with the Israeli economy returning to full activity following Operation Roaring Lion, approximately 216,000 workers have rejoined the workforce over the past two months. As a result, the number of job seekers stood at only about 180,000 at the end of May.
The decline in the number of job seekers was evident across all cities with populations exceeding 40,000 residents, with an average decrease of approximately 43%. However, smaller declines were recorded in Arab and peripheral communities. The cities of Rahat and Umm al-Fahm once again topped the list of municipalities with the highest rates of job seekers, while Bnei Brak recorded an especially low rate of 2.3%, similar to other economically strong cities such as Kfar Saba, Ra'anana, and Ramat Hasharon.
A breakdown by population group showed the most significant declines among women, young adults, and the haredi community. Notable decreases were also recorded in occupations involving public gatherings, outdoor work, institutional activities, commerce, and local services. In contrast, professions that can be performed remotely, including high-tech workers, experienced only minimal declines.
Employment Service Director-General Inbal Mashash said, "The Israeli labor market is proving once again that it knows how to recover from crises. The return to routine is not the finish line-it is the starting point. Now is the time to prepare Israel's labor market for the era of artificial intelligence and to ensure that reservists and their families do not pay a price in employment for serving us all."