Israel is grappling with a substantial labor shortage, a consequence of the ongoing conflict with Hamas. To address this shortage, the Israeli government has turned to India, embarking on a recruitment drive to hire a significant number of Indian workers. The recruitment process is currently underway in Uttar Pradesh, where a week-long drive is taking place at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Aliganj.
The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government is facilitating this recruitment drive, responding to Israel’s urgent need for skilled workers. The demand for labor arises as Palestinians, traditionally employed in various sectors in Israel, are facing restrictions on entry into the country.
As part of this extensive recruitment effort, an Israeli team is set to assess at least 4,600 candidates over seven days in Uttar Pradesh. The roles in demand include bar bending, masonry, tiling, and shuttering carpentry. The recruitment process is a collaborative effort between NSDC International, an agency under the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in India, and Israel’s Population, Immigration, and Border Authority (PIBA).
The schedule for testing skills of potential candidates is spread across different divisions in Uttar Pradesh. Workers from Agra, Kanpur, and Lucknow were examined on January 23, followed by candidates from Azamgarh and Banda divisions on January 24. The testing process will continue in various divisions, ensuring a thorough assessment of candidates’ skills.
This recruitment initiative follows a similar drive conducted in Haryana earlier this month, where Israeli officials interviewed hundreds of applicants daily for various roles. The move is a response to the plea from Israeli construction companies, which requested the government to permit the hiring of up to 100,000 Indian workers. This request came after the suspension of work licenses for Palestinian workers following the Gaza offensive.
Notably, Israel and India signed an agreement in May 2023, even before the Gaza conflict, to send 42,000 Indian construction and nursing workers to Israel. Salaries offered for these roles range from ₹116,409 to ₹141,354 per month. Presently, approximately 17,000 Indian workers are already residing in Israel, primarily engaged in nursing roles.
The labor shortage in Israel intensified as many foreign workers, including thousands from Thailand, returned home due to the ramifications of Tel Aviv’s airstrikes in Gaza. To address the immediate and impending shortage, Israeli authorities are hoping to bring in 10,000 to 20,000 Indian migrant workers in the coming months. This ambitious target equals the total number of foreign workers who entered Israel through bilateral agreements in 2021, as reported by Israel’s Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI).
The recruitment drive reflects the depth of the labor challenges faced by Israel and the lengths to which the government is willing to go to address the shortage. As the conflict dynamics in the region continue to influence geopolitical and economic considerations, the collaboration between Israel and India in the employment sector highlights the complex interplay between international relations and labor market dynamics.