The Ministry of Economy and Industry conducted a research study about representation and salary of various population groups, based on Central Bureau of Statistics figures for 2005-2014. The study results will be presented at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner conference, which will focus on the importance of diversity in the workplace. As expected, the findings show that non-haredi Jewish men and women had the highest employment rate. At the same time, however, it was also found that employment rates were gradually rising in all groups, especially among Arab women (55%), haredi women (38.5%), and haredi men (25.5%).
An examination of the multi-year trend in average gross monthly wages indicates that in most population groups, the rate of increase in women's salaries was greater than the rate of increase for men. For example, among non-haredi Jews, the average increase in gross monthly salary over the past decade was 38.9% for women and 29% for men. Similarly, haredi women's salaries rose 41.2% during this decade, compared with 25.7% for haredi men. The Arab sector was an exception to this trend; Arab men's wages were up 34.5% in the decade, compared with a 28.5% rise among Arab women.
The study also shows that the biggest increase in hourly wages in 2005-2014 was among Arab men, who started out from an extremely low point, earning less per hour than all the reference groups (including Arab women), a gap that narrowed only in 2014. On the other hand, the proportion of Arab men making pension payments has fallen since 2010.
The sharpest increase in the proportion of wage earners making pension payments was among haredi women - 78.6%, followed by haredi men with 41.9%. The proportion of haredi women making pension payments in 2014 was actually slightly higher than the proportion of non-religiously observant Jewish men: 71.6%, compared with 71.2%.
Only among non-haredi Jews (both men and women) did the average monthly pension payment rise gradually and consistently, but the gender difference in this statistic has also persisted.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 26, 2016
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