More than 6,000 Indian workers are scheduled to arrive in Israel between April and May to address a labour shortage in the construction sector, which arose following the Israel-Hamas conflict outbreak.
The decision to facilitate their arrival via an "air shuttle" was jointly made by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO), finance ministry, and the construction and housing ministry, as per a statement released by the Israeli government on Wednesday.
Israel's construction industry faces a deficit in certain specialised fields due to insufficient local workers. While the sector previously relied on approximately 80,000 workers from the Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank and 17,000 from the Gaza Strip, a significant number had their work permits revoked amidst the conflict that began in October.
Also Read: First group of Indian workers arrive in Israel to boost construction industry
According to the statement, this influx of foreign workers marks the "largest number of foreign workers arriving in Israel for the construction sector in a short time."
"Thanks to the joint financing of the PMO, the finance ministry and the construction and housing ministry, it was agreed approximately one week ago on the arrival of over 6,000 workers from India during April and May on an 'air shuttle' following the subsidising of charter flights," it said.
The statement was released after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting at the PMO here amid an acute shortage of workers that has stalled several projects. This shortage has caused concerns about the increasing cost of living and friction between various government bodies and businesses.
The workers from India are being brought to Israel under a government-to-government (G2G) agreement between the countries.
On Tuesday last week, 64 construction workers from India arrived in Israel under the agreement. More arrivals will follow in the coming weeks, totalling 850 by mid-April.
A little over 900 construction workers have arrived from India during the last few months through the B2B route, involving human resources agencies in both countries.
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