OECD calls on Israel to cut government subsidies for yeshiva students to boost employment

The OECD calls on Israel to cut government subsidies to yeshiva students in order to improve the country’s economy.

In a new report issued today by the organization on every OECD member country, the global organization criticizes Israel on a number of fronts, including its treatment of the Haredi sector.

According to the OECD, “socioeconomic gaps remain wide” in Israel, as “certain groups, especially the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews) and Arab-Israelis, are underrepresented in the thriving high-tech sector, and have low employment rates, working hours and wages.”

To address such a disparity, the OECD calls on Israel to “remove government subsidies for yeshiva students and condition childcare support on fathers’ employment.”

It also suggests that child-care options in Arab towns be boosted as well as budgets for schooling in Arab towns increased.

Separately, the OECD criticizes Israel on climate change, saying that its “share of renewable energy in electricity generation is one of the lowest in the OECD” and calling on it to address the issue in a number of steps.