Rivlin launches Arab employment initiative

After last week’s meeting with Arab heads of regional councils, President Reuven Rivlin launches a new project with the Collective Impact initiative to further the level of employment in Israel’s Arab communities.

CEOs from leading Israeli companies, including Amdocs, Deloitte, and Strauss participate in the meeting, according to a statement released by the President’s office.

The President is presented with a comprehensive study, which includes interviews with CEOs, senior managers, and human resource professionals from around fifty of Israel’s leading companies, including; The Strauss Group; Amdocs; Fattal; Check Point; Herzog Fox Neeman; Shikun & Binui; Teva; HP; Migdal; and Matrix.

Among the findings:

• The number of Arab workers in middle management positions and/or staff positions stands at an average of 0.3% of employees in the sample companies, and none of the companies surveyed had an adequate representation of Arab employees in management positions.
• Arab Israelis represent 15% of the labor force and an 8% contribution to the GDP. They only make up 5% of business sector employees.
•  80% of employers say they lack access to suitable candidates from the Arab community.