Microsoft Israel GM calls to nearly double hi-tech workers immediately

• Published date: 13 October 2021
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"We call ourselves the Start-up Nation, the hi-tech nation, but we are only 8% into hi-tech," she said. "What we need to do as a nation is dramatically increase that number."

She said that 15% of citizens should be in hi-tech, to truly make Israel an economic superpower.

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Braverman-Blumenstyk is the first woman to head Microsoft's Israel R&D center. She said the company is developing cyber products in Israel that are leading the Microsoft security product line, in addition to its usual efforts.

"Only last week, we announced that we will double the number of employees that we have in the R&D center in the next few years, and this is after we increased it by 40% since February 2020," she said.

But she admitted it will be hard to do, because in Israel there is a lack of engineers and other hi-tech workers.

"That is why it should be a national mission to fix that – and we can," Braverman-Blumenstyk stressed.

She suggested three ways to do so, the first being education. The second, she said, would be diversifying who enters the field.

"We really have to make sure that women, Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews – that everyone participates in hi-tech," she said.

Her own company is planning to open...