After the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, Israel experienced a severe labor shortage. To address this shortage, Israel turned to India, where thousands of workers are currently working for Israel. Now Israel is once again recruiting large numbers of workers from India. Israel needs 10,000 skilled workers from India and its ongoing recruitment drive will last until Wednesday, September 25.
Recruitment takes place at Industrial Training Institute, Pune. Officials in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said the recruitment was done in the same manner as earlier this year, with workers recruited from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana states to work in Israel.
Indians find high-paying jobs abroad
Officials said, “About 4,800 Indian workers have been deployed to Israel so far. His monthly salary is approximately Rs 1.32 lakh and monthly bonus is Rs 16,000.
In addition to the first batch of workers recruited to work in Israel, 1,500 workers left India for Israel on September 18. Since then, the total number of Indian skilled workers coming to work in Israel from India has increased to more than 5,000.
Officials further said that Israeli recruiters have expanded their recruitment targets and are seeking an additional 10,000 candidates in this round. He told reporters that the workers recruited this time are all workers who can do framing, bending iron, plastering, and tiling.
A delegation of 12 Israeli officials arrived in India on September 16 to oversee the recruitment process. Officials further said, “The recruitment is aimed at meeting the growing demand for skilled construction workers in Israel and providing international career opportunities to Indian workers.”
Israel’s recruitment drive in India started after India and Israel signed an agreement in November 2023.
Criticism of Indian workers traveling to Israel
Before its war with the Palestinian group Hamas, Israel often relied on Palestinian workers for construction projects, but that changed after the war. Israel has since turned to India to address labor shortages.
But during the war, many unions also expressed opposition to Indian workers traveling to Israel. Critics say it is extremely risky for Indians to travel to Israel during the war. Unions say the government should consider workers’ welfare and safety. However, many Indian workers choose to travel to Israel in search of higher wages.
