65,800 foreign workers entered Israel in 2018 - an increase of about 15%

In 2018, 65,800 workers from abroad (foreign nationals) entered work permits - an increase of about 15% compared to 2017, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. As of the end of 2018, there were approximately 164,000 workers from abroad.
Employees came from about 100 countries, with 67% coming in from Asian countries and about 31% from European countries. The main nationals of incoming workers in 2018 were: the Commonwealth 23%, the Philippines 12%, Thailand 12%, India 11%, China 12% and Sri Lanka 3%.
Last year, the number of workers from abroad who had a work visa exiting 57,400, compared with 50,400 the year before. 63% of the immigrants were foreign nationals coming from Asian countries, 34% - from European countries, mainly the Commonwealth (24%) and only 2% America The major nationals of most foreigners were the Philippines (13%), Thailand (13%) and India (11%).
 The total number of foreign workers who arrived in Israel on work permits between 2003 and 2018 - and who did not leave the country until last year, is estimated at 106,000, most of them from Thailand (23.4%), the Philippines
(21.3%), the Commonwealth (16.5%), India (11.1%), China (8.9%) and Sri Lanka (4.7%). The majority of the Commonwealth came from Moldova (65%), followed by Uzbekistan (20%) and Ukraine (11%).
The proportion of men who did not leave the country was particularly high, accounting for about 50%, most of them from Turkey, China and Thailand (100%, 99% and 96%, respectively), with most of them employed in the construction and agriculture sectors. In contrast, the proportion of men entering Nepal and the Philippines was relatively low (18% and 15%, respectively), and most workers from these countries are employed in nursing.
The figures also show that if from 2001-1995 the number of foreign workers who entered Israel as tourists (without a work visa) rose steadily and reached a peak of 139,000, then in 2018 the number of tourists who remained in the country beyond the visa expired reached 58,000.
In addition, the data shows that the entry of new infiltrators almost stopped, with no infiltrators entering Israel in 2018, and some 7,200,000 left. At the end of 2018, approximately 33,600 infiltrators remained, mostly from Eritrea (71%) and Sudan (20%), compared with 37,000 infiltrators in 2017.