Israel’s Ministry of Economy has granted NIS 10 million ($2.5 million) to 16 hotels in that country which have committed to employing about 200 workers from sectors with low rates of employment, including the Arab, Bedouin, and Druze sectors, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish (Haredi) sector, people with disabilities, and single parent families.. Israel has a number of regions and groups that have been suffering from high unemployment rates for years.
Nahum Itzkowitz, Director of the Ministry’s Investment Center said, “We are providing a spirit of support to the periphery, to the tourism industry, and in particular, to those male and female employees excluded from the labor market, with the expectation that the employers and workers will see things are good and increase the number of such employees in the hotels, and the tourism industry in general.”
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This allocation, which was the first of its kind, distributed:
Approximately NIS 5.5 million ($1.4 million) for Dead Sea hotels.
Approximately NIS 2.4 million ($660, 000) for hotels in Jerusalem, including East Jerusalem.
Approximately NIS 530, 000 ($140, 000) for hotels in Eilat.
Approximately NIS 530, 000 ($140, 000) for hotels in Tiberias.
Approximately NIS 175, 000 ($45, 000) for hotels in Ashkelon.
Approximately NIS 175, 000 ($45, 000) for hotels in Tel Aviv.
Nahum Itzkowitz added, “The allocation track, carried out for the first time, is intended to incentivize the tourism industry, headed by the largest employers in industry – the hotel industry, to include workers usually excluded from the labor market. I believe our support will help the tourism industry – which is located mostly in the periphery – but no less importantly will also aid the integration of populations that find it difficult to integrate by themselves into the labor market. And, perhaps, even shatter stigmas regarding these populations and lead to intentionally employing them more in the future.”
Itzkowitz hopes that in 2015, despite the lack of budget, it will be possible to continue with allocations for this important track.
