In the wake of Israel's prolonged conflict with Hamas, the Benjamin Netanyahu government is facing a dire labour shortage, prompting the West Asian nation to turn to India for a solution.
After over 110 days of Israel's war on Gaza, a labour crisis has unfolded in the country, rooted in its decision to block tens of thousands of Palestinians from working within its borders.
In October last year, Israeli construction companies sought permission from the Tel Aviv government to hire up to 100,000 Indian workers to replace Palestinians whose work licences were suspended following the Gaza offensive.
In a bid to address the shortage, the Haryana government, in December, advertised 10,000 positions for construction workers in Israel. This included 3,000 posts for carpenters and ironworkers, 2,000 for floor tile fitters, and 2,000 for plasterers.
The advertised salary for these jobs was approximately 6,100 shekels, equivalent to $1,625, in a state where the per capita income is around $300 a month.
Subsequently, Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, released a similar advertisement for an additional 10,000 workers. Reports indicate that the recruitment drive commenced in the state capital, Lucknow, drawing hundreds of applicants.
The responsibility for facilitating employment for construction workers in Israel is being looked upon by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) International, an agency under the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship from India, and the Population, Immigration, and Border Authority (PIBA) in Israel.
Responding to the crisis, the Uttar Pradesh Government, led by Yogi Adityanath, has initiated a one-week recruitment drive at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Aliganj. Over the course of a week starting January 23, an accessing team from Israel in Uttar Pradesh plans to examine a minimum of 4,600 candidates for various positions, including bar bending, masonry, tiling, and shuttering carpentry.
The PIBA schedule for testing skills is outlined as follows:
- January 23: Testing of skills for 629 workers from Agra, Kanpur, and Lucknow.
- January 24: Examination of 585 workers from Azamgarh and Banda divisions.
- January 25: Testing of 563 workers from Bareilly, Jhansi, Noida, Moradabad, and Devipatan divisions.
- January 27: Evaluation of skills for 656 workers from Varanasi, Mirzapur, Meerut, and Ghaziabad.
- January 28: Assessment of 877 workers from Gorakhpur division.
- January 29: Examination of 739 workers from Ayodhya and Saharanpur divisions.
- January 30: Testing of 603 workers from Aligarh, Basti, and Prayagraj divisions.
A substantial labour force in the construction industry, comprising about 80,000 workers from the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank and 17,000 from the Gaza Strip, had their work permits revoked following the Hamas attack on Israel in October last year.
An additional group of approximately 7,000 workers from China and 6,000 from Eastern Europe has contributed to the labour shortage exacerbated by the ongoing conflict.
Israel's Minister of Economy, Nir Barkat, had previously discussed the possibility of recruiting workers from India during his visit to the country in April of the preceding year.
It is noteworthy that the Union Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, had in June 2022 launched an initiative for the skill training of construction workers.
Named as National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman Workers (NIPUN), the project, under the flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), aims to train over 1 lakh construction workers.
The initiative also provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries, as stated by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
Even before the Gaza conflict, Israel and India had signed an agreement in May 2023 to send 42,000 Indian construction and nursing workers to Israel, according to former Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's comments in the Israeli parliament.
Advertisements for recruitment across India indicate salaries ranging from ₹116,409 to ₹141,354 per month. Currently, around 17,000 Indian workers reside in Israel, primarily employed in nursing, according to local Indian media and Israeli officials.
Israel found itself grappling with a severe labour shortage after numerous foreign workers, including thousands from Thailand, returned home due to Tel Aviv's airstrike campaign in Gaza, resulting in the tragic loss of 25,000 Palestinian lives over 100 days.
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