Salaried employees in Jerusalem, like those across Israel and throughout the world, are now contending with a severe economic crisis. Numerous workers have been placed on unpaid leave, and many self-employed workers have lost their livelihoods.
Recent data published by the Israeli Employment Service shows that in March, 15% of the total number of workers on unpaid leave in Israel resided in Jerusalem (70,064), compared with 18% in Tel Aviv and 25% in the center. However, these numbers do not reflect the complete picture, and the number of newly unemployed people is probably higher.
In east Jerusalem, workers employed in the territories administered by the Palestinian Authority are now unable to work, but are not eligible for government benefits. There are also workers in east Jerusalem who have difficulty filling in the relevant forms and submitting them to the authorities on time, due to poor Hebrew-language skills.
Most of the workers in Jerusalem who are on unpaid leave are from the fields of education and training, with 20% of those who were on unpaid leave in March coming from these sectors, followed by 12% who work at odd jobs that don't require training. The rates are similar in the rest of the country.
It is interesting to note that in Jerusalem an almost identical number of women and men are now on unpaid leave: 50.5% and 49.5% respectively. At first glance, it seems that in the context of the economic crisis, the burden is finally being shouldered equally. However, this is not an accurate representation of reality.
When one recalls that the rate of employment of women in Jerusalem is lower than in the rest of the country (47% as opposed to 60% as of 2017), it emerges that the situation for women has worsened to a greater extent, and the number of women who have lost their jobs is much higher than their presence in the employment market. In contrast, in the country as a whole, 57% of women are now on unpaid leave, as compared to 42% of men. This means that more women than men have been more adversely affected by the current situation.
The figures from the Employment Service also show that more young people in Jerusalem are on unpaid leave than their peers in the rest of the country. Of those on unpaid leave in Jerusalem, 56% are under the age of 34, as opposed to 48% in the rest of Israel.
The stipend available to those who are 28 years old and younger who are on unpaid leave is significantly lower than that which is available to older workers. This means that in Jerusalem, more of the population will be newly unemployed and will be receiving lower amounts in unemployment benefits, and the economic hardship in the city will be greater.
Translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann