The Health, Finance, and Education Ministries, together with the Histadrut, agreed to raise public sector psychologists' salaries to increase the number of public mental health care providers in the country.
The reform, scheduled to start in January 2025, aims to boost salaries to encourage psychologists to transition from private practice to public health services, hospitals, government offices, and municipalities.
According to the new salary agreements, an expert psychologist's salary will increase by about 40% on average. Interns will earn 11,000 shekels per month for a full-time position, experts will earn 13,000 shekels, supervisory psychologists will make 15,000 shekels, and senior supervisors will receive 17,000 shekels per month.
In addition to the base salary, psychologists will receive seniority bonuses starting from 2026, with an annual increase of 1.5% per year up to a maximum of 25 years of seniority. Psychologists will also receive a seniority bonus of 1% for each year of mandatory military service in the IDF.
Psychologists in managerial roles within the psychological system will receive a salary increase ranging from 5% to 25% of their base salary, depending on their management level and unit size, starting from the team leader level and above.
Until the agreement takes effect, all public sector psychologists will receive a one-time bonus of 5,000 shekels in their September salary, proportional to their employment percentage.
Boost public psychologists' status and support
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, "We decided on a significant investment in mental health, reflected in the enhancement of public psychology for both frontline soldiers and civilians. Psychologists do sacred work and save lives every day, and I hope the improvement in their status will reflect some of the great appreciation they deserve."
Health Minister Uriel Busso said, "This is an important advancement that offers hope to psychologists who want to join the system but fear inadequate compensation. Since the October 7 Massacre, it’s clear that public sector psychologists' working conditions need dramatic changes, and that’s the plan.
“The urgent task is to make the mental health system an attractive field for skilled and experienced professionals, providing the necessary mental health support to Israeli citizens as part of the national mental health plan led by the ministry,” Busso emphasized.
MK Michal Waldinger, the reform initiator, added: "A society's resilience is the foundation of a healthy and thriving community, especially in challenging times. Resilience starts from the grassroots, infrastructure, and local communities, but must also be supported by a strong public system with high-quality, professional, and accessible psychologists."
Waldinger further added, "The new agreement is a positive development for public sector psychologists, and even more so for Israeli society and its resilience. It will provide more and better psychologists to help address challenges and support those in need."