Minister for the Economy Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday that he would seek to advance legislation for affirmative action in employing haredim in the Civil Service.
Bennett said that this coming Sunday he would present a proposal to the cabinet that would oblige the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of the Economy to draft legislation that would increase haredi participation in the public sector.
The decision would require that a draft bill is drawn up for review by the relevant government ministries by 13 July this year to enable affirmative action in employing haredi men in the Civil Service.
However, it seems unlikely that the bill will be put to to the Knesset plenum for its initial readings before November. One significant problem will be the way in which a haredi person is defined.
Back in November, MK Meir Porush proposed a similar bill but it was defeated in the Knesset plenum due to lack of government support.
Hatnua chairwoman and Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni objected to the bill claiming that the lack of haredim in the Civil Service was due to “an unwillingness to integrate into Israeli life.”
In a statement on the issue on Wednesday, Bennett said that very few haredim are employed by the Civil Service and implied that it would be hypocritical of the government not to advance haredi employment in the public sector while it has called on employers to take on haredi workers.
“I preach to employers the whole time: “Take haredim, it’s worthwhile for you. While with us in the public sector you simply don’t see haredim,” said Bennett.
“Haredim I have spoken to say they have simply not been able to get work in public service even when they fulfil the criteria. The public sector needs to understand the amazing abilities of this community and give them a boost.
“The result will be more Haredim working, less Haredim unemployed. The more Haredim integrate into society, the less prejudice they will face. In the end, all Israelis will benefit from this,” he continued.
In the first quarter of 2014, male haredi employment stood at 44.5% according to recent statistics from the Ministry of the Economy, compared to the national average of 81 percent.
And of male employees in public administration, such as government ministries and local government authorities, just 1 percent are haredi, while the haredi community makes up roughly 8-10% of the total population, depending on the definition.
A statement from the Ministry of the Economy on the issue acknowledged that the lack of relevant qualifications for employment among haredi men was a significant roadblock to increasing employment in the sector.
However it also pointed out that the increasing number of haredi men with professional qualifications still had greater difficulty finding employment than their peers, and cited government research which indicated that they get fewer responses on average to job applications, take longer on average to find employment, and receive lower than average wages once they find a job.