Program for employing Jerusalem Arabs in public sector underway

Against a background of a dismal employment situation for the Arab population of East Jerusalem, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage is launching a trial program for training East Jerusalem Arabs for jobs in the public sector: in the municipality, state-owned companies, and government ministries. The program will be run by the Yesodot Center, and will initially provide practical training to 60-70 participants from East Jerusalem for work in the public sector.

The training will include meetings with people working in the public and social sectors, familiarization with platforms and work skills applicable to the public sector, and study of basic issues concerning Israel’s population, with a stress on the history and culture of the various groups in Israeli society.

The program will run for three years, and will cost about NIS 1 million. Participants will initially undergo group training lasting a few months, and will then go for work experience in government ministries and the public sector, with individual, personalized coaching. At the end of the training period, participants will immediately be placed in public sector jobs.

Educated, but not earning

The population of East Jerusalem currently suffers from serious disadvantages when it comes to employment. A study by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research found that the Arab population of East Jerusalem was better educated than the Israeli Arab population. For example, 29% of women and 17% of men in East Jerusalem have academic degrees, which compares with 22% of women and 14% of men in the Arab population in Israel in general. Despite this, 69% of women in East Jerusalem do not work at all, and while the men do work, they earn low wages, being largely employed in low-paid jobs in construction and domestic service.

According to figures from the Knesset Research and Information Center, at the end of 2019, a little over 12% of workers in the civil service were Arabs. This is double the proportion in 2007, when the government decided to set a target for representation of the Arab population in the civil service. A report from the State Comptroller released last month stated that the proportion of Arabs employed in local authorities with mixed populations was extremely low.

Hebrew the main obstacle

The current program arose out of a special tour of East Jerusalem neighborhoods by the director general of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, Netanel Isaac, together with Civil Service Commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz. It was decided that the ministry and the Civil Service Commission would cooperate with the aim of strengthening the representation of the population of East Jerusalem, which numbers about 350,000, in the public sector.

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The Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage and the Civil Service Commission identified a number of obstacles that make it difficult for East Jerusalem residents to become integrated into the public sector. The main obstacle is lack of knowledge of the Hebrew language. Most of the population of East Jerusalem is educated in accordance with the Palestinian curriculum, and is not fluent in Hebrew. This directly impacts everyday life and the chances of finding high-quality employment. The program will place an emphasis on this point.

Minister of Jerusalem and Heritage Ze’ev Elkin said, “The State of Israel has a substantial interest in integrating the residents of East Jerusalem into the high-quality employment market, including in the public sector. I’m sure that integrating this population into field roles dealing with the public will improve the service received by residents. The Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage that I head is investing huge resources in reducing economic gaps in East Jerusalem and in improving the quality of life throughout the capital.”

Over the coming year, the next five-year plan for narrowing gaps between the capital’s Arab residents and the rest of the population will be formulated. This plan is separate from the five-year plan for Israeli Arabs in general. The current plan, costing NIS 2.1 billion, will end in 2023, and the intention is to present a new plan with double the budget.

Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on August 22, 2022.

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