Israel plans to bring nearly 6,000 Indian laborers in April and May to help with the labor shortage caused by the recent Israel-Hamas war, according to news agency PTI. This action is intended to boost the country's construction industry, which has been severely understaffed. An "air shuttle" service that makes it easier for these workers to arrive was made possible by cooperation between the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Finance Ministry, and the Ministry of Construction and Housing. The Israeli government announced late on Wednesday that these entities had collectively resolved to subsidize charter flights.
When there is a shortage of local labor, Israel's construction sector significantly depends on foreign labor for certain positions. Historically, the majority of the around 80,000 laborers were from the West Bank, which is governed by the Palestinian Authority, and an additional 17,000 from the Gaza Strip. But for the most majority of these people, their work licenses were revoked when the violence began in October.
This is the "largest number of foreign workers arriving in Israel for the construction sector in a short time," according to the government's statement. The subsidization deal, which was struck almost a week ago, is a major step toward resolving the severe labor shortage that has hampered a number of building projects, raised living expenses, and strained relations between the public sector and private industry.
There is a government-to-government (G2G) agreement between the two countries that governs the immigration of Indian workers into Israel. 64 Indian construction workers arrived in Israel on Tuesday as part of this effort; by mid-April, 850 workers are expected to come.
More than 900 Indian construction workers have arrived in Israel in recent months thanks to a business-to-business (B2B) travel arrangement that involved hiring firms in both nations.
Only roughly 1,000 workers from India and Sri Lanka have come so far, despite the Israeli Contractors Association (ICA) approving over 20,000 workers following screening examinations. Insiders in the building industry blame "bureaucratic procedures," such as obtaining several permissions, for the delay.
According to reports, several of the chosen employees have quit from their prior jobs in order to expeditiously obtain their visas so they may start working in Israel. The Israeli government has promised repeatedly to speed up these processes, but they are still being done slowly.
The government has been encouraged by the ICA to expedite the approval and travel procedure for the authorized workers and to bring them to Israel as soon as possible. This call to action is being issued amid worries that everyone may suffer as a result of the delay.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December on the urgency of accelerating the entry of Indian laborers.
Israel has accepted some 7,000 workers from China and about 6,000 workers from Eastern Europe to boost its building sector at this difficult time, in addition to the labor force from India and Sri Lanka.