Palestinian labor limited due to corona, Israeli builders struggling

Published date07 January 2021
Date07 January 2021
AuthorZEV STUB
Publication titleJerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)
"We have been informed that the country has decided to close up the Palestinian territories to daily travel for workers," Israel Builders Association Deputy Director-General Shay Pauzner said on Thursday. "This means that if a worker wants to work, he will have to decide by Sunday to commit to remaining in Israel for the remainder of the closure for at least two weeks, and not return to his home every night."

A similar measure was imposed during the first lockdown in March, which caused a 30% decline in the construction industry's workforce, Pauzner noted. Since then, there has been an attempt to ease employment shortages by granting permits to allow more Palestinians to stay in Israel overnight.

A survey published last week by the Bank of Israel found that by August, the majority of Palestinian workers had stayed overnight in Israel for at least part of the month. It found that employers had provided a place to sleep for about half of those workers, and that a large majority said their living conditions were good.

The report anticipated that the creation of additional living arrangements for workers would help prevent some of the loss to the workforce during lockdowns.

About 100,000 Palestinians work in Israel, a critical element for the Palestinian economy, but that number fell by 64% in April, although it has since returned to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, about 18% of Palestinian employees living in Judea and Samaria were employed by Israel in 2019. Palestinian workers in Israel earn an average of NIS 254 per day, more than double the average Palestinian daily wage.

Most Palestinian workers, some 65,000, are employed in Israel's construction industry, comprising about 25% of the sector's workforce. However, coronavirus-related challenges like sickness, lockdowns, quarantines and logistical issues have meant that between a quarter and a third of those workers have been unavailable at any given time, said Pauzner.

"The building sector has suffered a lot from the constant work stoppages," he said. "The Palestinians are the backbone of the entire industry."

Israel already suffers from a housing shortage, and the pandemic is expected to exacerbate it even further. New housing starts declined by nearly 10% in the first...

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