Government Launches Special Campaign to Encourage Employment of Arab
Academics
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

The Government will, today (Sunday, 10 June 2012), launch a wide-ranging
advertising campaign to encourage the employment of non-Jewish academics.
The campaign has been initiated by the Prime Minister's Office Authority for
the Economic Development of the Arab, Druze and Circassian Sectors
http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/PM+Office/Authorities/calcalihome.htm
in cooperation with the Industry, Trade and Employment Ministry. The
campaign is designed to raise awareness of the issue while breaking stigmas
and call attention to the incentives that the state offers employers.

The campaign was preceded by research in which the integration of this
population in the employment market was evaluated. It was found, inter alia,
that the rate of employment among Arab sector academics is 81% in comparison
to 90% in the Jewish sector. However, many Arab sector academics are not
employed in the profession in which they studied. Thus, for example, only
1.3% of those who studied high-tech professions are employed in the field,
while 50% are employed in teaching. The study also shows that there is a
significant wage gap between the populations. In 2009, the average salary
among Arab sector academics was NIS 7,255 in comparison to NIS 12,120 in the
Jewish sector.

A survey carried out among employers showed that the main impediment to the
employment of non-Jewish workers is prejudice and discrimination by the
employers:

22% of employers surveyed responded openly that they discriminate against
candidates from the Arab sector and
25% expressed prejudice against such candidates. In this context, it should
be noted that
94% of employers that employ, or have employed, minority sector workers are
interested in absorbing additional non-Jewish workers. However, only
65% of employers that have yet to employ non-Jewish workers expressed
willingness to do so.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that better integrating minorities in
the labor market is a national interest for the State of Israel. "We must
create conditions that will enable the full integration of Arab sector
academics in the labor market. In the State of Israel, there is no room for
discrimination against this or that group and we are committed to uphold
equal opportunity for all. The Arab sector is a main growth engine for the
Israeli economy, which has yet to be fully utilized, and I believe that
their integration into the labor market will contribute not only to the Arab
sector, but to the State of Israel as a whole. I am encouraged by the data
which show that the decisive majority of employers who have already employed
minorities would be pleased to employ more and we must encourage this
trend," the Prime Minister said.