The Arab sector was more affected by the Corona crisis than Jewish society

The Employment Service report states unequivocally what was quite clear to everyone involved: Arab society was more affected by the Corona crisis than Jewish society, as of the end of April 2021, the employment rate in Arab society was only 36.6%, 11.7% lower than before the Corona crisis. .
Here are some salient data from the report:
• The employment rate in Arab society at the end of April was only 36.6%: a decrease of 11.7% compared to the rate measured on the eve of the outbreak of the corona crisis, compared with a decrease of 7.2% among non-Haredi Jews and 8.4% among Haredi Jews.
• Relatively, Arab men were more affected than Arab women: while the employment rate of Arab men at the end of April 2021 was about 14% lower than that measured on the eve of the crisis, the employment rate of Arab women at the end of April 2021 was 7.4% lower.
• Similar to Jewish women, Arab women return to work at a relatively high rate compared to men, with the exception of Bedouin women and women from East Jerusalem: in general, working women constitute a significantly higher proportion than men among occupational workers who were more affected by the closure policy.
Thus, their rate of return to work is relatively high for men in exiting quarantines and returning to routine. Like Jewish women, Arab women returned at a higher rate, with the exception of Bedouin women and women from East Jerusalem who are characterized by very low digital skills and have difficulty returning to work.
• The increase in the number of young job seekers from East Jerusalem was significantly higher than in any other group: in general, young Israelis, Jews and Arabs, left the labor force at relatively high rates and much of the increase in the number of job seekers came from the increase in young job seekers.
However, the number of young job seekers from East Jerusalem recorded a threefold increase in that of young Jews and 2.4 times that of all Arab young people.
• In general, quite a few job seekers from Arab society may find it difficult to return to work even at the end of the eligibility period, although there are differences between subgroups in Arab society: although there are differences between groups in Arab society, it can be said that apart from the Christian group, Arabs live in areas of low socio-economic clusters and have low digital skills and education.
Many of the job seekers from the Bedouin group in the south entered the corona crisis when they were already in chronic unemployment (more than two years in a row). This means that, apart from Christians, many of the job seekers in Arab society may find themselves in long-term unemployment and will need social benefits.
When examining the unemployment figures in Arab society, it is difficult not to notice the outbreak of violence in it, both in the increase in acts of violence within Arab society and in the increase in tension against a nationalist background, as we were exposed to during Operation Wall Guard.
The corona year seems to have sharpened a number of fundamental problems in Arab society. When we hear about "illegal construction", it is sometimes difficult to see its economic aspect, which is in a kind of vicious circle: the unwillingness of the landowners to make an orderly registration of it, so as not to pay taxes.
Inability of the local authority to collect property taxes to develop community services, delay or even genesis of outline plans that will allow legal construction - and most importantly, as evidenced by severe economic crisis, inability to obtain a loan (mortgage) against a building not registered with the Land Registry.
A severe literacy problem, especially among the Muslim sector (among Arab-Christians, the relative proportion of academics is even higher than in Jewish society), leads to employment in forced labor, which does not require professional certification. As a result, employment in "black" developed in Arab society. As long as the normal course of business continues, those who earn unreported wages can exist, but when closures occur, they cannot - as is customary in most of the Jewish sector, receive a payment based on their wages before the crisis.
The same goes for business: when a business is run where an income tax inspector who wants to audit the books will have to enlist the help of a Border Patrol company, it can be based on a regular basis - but when a corona outline for self-reported income is announced, those who report modest turnover Alone, can not demand adequate compensation.
Allegedly, these problems originate in Arab society itself, but it should be remembered that they developed in the face of state authorities that sometimes preferred that the Arab sector be governed by its own laws. The problem began when not only the weak on the fringes of Arab society, but also those who had witnessed the outbreak of the Corona crisis, were forced to take out loans to finance the crisis period. Since some of the legal options (her mortgage based on home registration with the real estate bureau or a loan that relies on pay slips) are not available to them, lenders with interest within the sector are the only solution.
Quite a few normative factors in Arab society have in the past year found themselves easy prey for interest rate lenders on behalf of criminal organizations, and so what was perceived with dismay as instability within Arab society, expressed in rising crime, including murders, has become a national problem of Israel.
Therefore, anyone who wants to promote a solution to the founding problems of the sector will need a multi-systemic solution, perhaps in contrast to the position expressed today by the Minister of Economy, Orna Barbibai, who calls for responding to differential harm in a differential solution.
Employment Service CEO Rami Graur: “The report data reinforces what we have warned throughout the past year, the corona crisis has significantly hit populations that have faced employment barriers before, such as ultra-Orthodox, Arabs, low-wage earners and those with low digital skills. The change processes that began before the crisis only accelerated during it, and as a state we have a duty to take active action to put the full tools to reduce the gaps and with an emphasis on strengthening human capital and encouraging and enabling employment. "