Unemployment in Israel has seen a dramatic increase in the wake of its recent conflict with Hamas, as reported by the Israel Employment Service (IES) on Tuesday. In a stark rise, the number of new jobseekers in October reached 70,300, tripling the figure recorded in October 2022 and more than doubling from the previous month. The spike in unemployment, with 96% of the cases registered since the conflict began on October 7, underscores the economic toll of the military engagement.
This holiday season, give to:
Truth and understanding
The Media Line's intrepid correspondents are in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Pakistan providing first-person reporting.
They all said they cover it.
We see it.
We report with just one agenda: the truth.
The escalation has particularly affected workers placed on unpaid leave, who constitute about 60.2% of the new jobseekers. The IES highlighted that the job sectors most impacted include retail associates, service and administration managers, and nursing care professionals. This upsurge in unemployment reflects the broad and deep economic ramifications of the conflict beyond the immediate areas of combat.
As the IES continues to monitor the situation, the data reveals the vulnerability of certain employment sectors to the fluctuations of peace and security in the region. The statistics illustrate not only the immediate human cost of the conflict but also the longer-term economic challenges that confront individuals and industries during times of military strife. The government and economic strategists are now faced with addressing this surge in unemployment as part of the post-conflict recovery process.