According to the latest statistics from the Israel Innovation Authority, the share of Israelis working in the nation’s hi-tech sector currently sits at 8.7%, exceeding 300,000 employees for the first time ever. During 2018, an additional 19,000 positions in the sector were filled-excluding communication sector employees.
The proportion of employees in the hi-tech sector subsequently rose to 8.7% from 8.3% in the preceding year.
The data also reveals that the numbers have continued to rise in the first half of 2019, with 307,000 hi-tech sector employees by the end of May.
The software industry was responsible for a large share of the increase in employment, growing by some 14,000 employees in 2018 alone. A decline of 3,000 employees was recorded in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector due to major layoffs by Teva, Israel’s leading pharmaceutical company.
Israel’s Economy Minister Eli Cohen said: “Increasing the number of workers in the hi-tech sector is an important task in light of the industry’s contribution to the State of Israel’s economy and exports”.
He added: “In order to continue to lead in this field, we must strive to retain Israeli innovation and brains in the country, and provide them with the right platform to staff the many hi-tech jobs on offer”.
In another positive development, unemployment in Israel declined sharply from 4.1% in June to 3.7% in July among Israelis aged 15 and over, the CBS said on Monday.
